Quadro: The Dutch Quadcopter Aiming to Become a “Taxi of the Sky”

Ever since Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved infamy with the first powered aircraft in December 1903, man's fascination with flight has remained constant.

From the infamous "Space Race" in the 1960s to new technologies in military and commercial aircraft in recent decades, as well as ongoing innovation in aerospace for both manned and unmanned missions to outer space, the aviation and aerospace industry continues to make impressive strides.

But it's not just high-level innovation that's grabbing headlines these days. A more personal form of flight is also taking hold, with the progression of flying cars and quadcopters. I've reported on both here before – including the recent groundbreaking Hoverbike from British-based Malloy Aeronautics at this year's Paris Air Show.

Well, the Malloy team has some competition…

Similar to the Hoverbike's ability to fly both manned and unmanned missions, Dutch software engineer Thorsten Crijns has developed a manned quadcopter called Quadro.

Constructed from lightweight aluminum alloy, Quadro uses no fewer than 20 engines. But before you think it's massively polluting, lithium batteries provide the power.

The key feature, though, is that Quadro is designed to transport passengers without needing manual control. Think of it as a flying taxi.

As Crijns says, "I envision that governments could use this transportation system and a person could use a smartphone, call the drone, get in there, and go to their desired location."

The autonomous aspect of Quadro works with the MultiWii Autopilot System, which controls and stabilizes the vehicle.

On that point, Crijns notes that aside from the "technological challenges" behind the scenes, it's also "really important that people should trust this device."

Indeed, gaining consumer trust may well be the biggest challenge of all – a mission that "will take 15 years or something," says Crijns.

In addition, the technology is still in its early days, with Quadro only managing to fly for 10 seconds with a passenger so far. But as Crijns develops the technology, he hopes that negotiations with the Dutch aviation authorities will prove successful in granting him a full flying permit for the aircraft.

Take a look at Quadro in action…

Dutch engineer develops autonomous quadcopter vehicle

Cheers,

Martin Denholm

Source: Quadro: The Dutch Quadcopter Aiming to Become a "Taxi of the Sky"

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Source: Flying in the Folding ICON A5 Airplane

Computer driven cars are a thing of the present

The future promises many things, but sometimes it doesn't follow through.

Robert Zemeckis promised us all hoverboards by 2015 with his 1989 movie hit "Back to the Future II." But, alas, there are none. In fact, flying cars have long been promised before Marty McFly eluded Biff on such an anti-gravity devise. Flying cars are no closer to reality, but the notion of automated transportation is certainly in the realm of possibility.

The Capital District Transportation Committee discussed the very topic two weeks ago, on the heels of its released draft of the CDTC New Visions 2040 report. The committee is tasked with projecting the future transportation needs of the Capital District. Those projections, said CDTC Executive Director Michael Francini, directly impact funding for yet to be proposed capital projects. At nearly 130-pages thick, the report covers the full gambit of transportation options, from pedestrian and bicycle, to community transit, and the infrastructure it all utilizes.

One avenue approached by the committee may initially be perceived as a tip of the hat to science fiction fans.

Scott LeVine presented at the committee's most recent monthly meeting two weeks ago. LeVine is respected as an international expert on automated transportation. He is an assistant professor in urban planning for SUNY New Paltz.

Cars that drive themselves conjure images of Tom Cruise in "Minority Report," but the notion is far from far-fetched. The technology, to a large extent, is already being utilized.

"It's a question of time when we talk about automated driving cars on our roadways," said Francini, who cited a handful of car manufacturers that incorporate advanced technology that takes some tasks, such as checking a driver's blind spot or parallel parking, out of the hands of the driver. "It's just a question as to when it all goes into one vehicle.

Source: Computer driven cars are a thing of the present

NASA study: Flying air taxis could be as cheap as an Uber ride, and faster

An artist's conception shows a vertical-takeoff craft rising from an urban helipad, using a distributed electric propulsion system. (Credit: Joby Aviation via YouTube)

Taking a ride on a flying air taxi could become as cheap as taking an Uber ride, and get you where you're going in as little as a third of the time, according to a NASA concept study.

In fact, if you're looking for your flying car, today's Uber ride-on-demand arrangement just might provide the best model for finding it, said Mark Moore, chief technologist for on-demand ‎mobility at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia.

Science journalist Alan Boyle is the author of "The Case for Pluto: How a Little Planet Made A Big Difference."

"Uber could provide a true door-to-door system," Moore observed during a presentation at this week's SAE AeroTech Congress and Exhibition in Seattle. "It's hard to beat that economic model."

Moore's presentation was part of a status report on "flying cars" — a science-fiction phrase that's frowned upon by the folks who are actually working on flying cars. (No offense, George Jetson.) The experts prefer terms such as roadable aircraft, hybrid air systems … or air taxis.

Moore and his colleagues came up with a scenario for a swath of Silicon Valley, running from Oakland to San Jose, where air taxis could conceivably match an Uber benchmark of $1.50 per mile traveled and reach an average ground-speed travel rate of 34 mph for urban areas. That equates to a nearly threefold improvement in rush-hour travel speed.

But NASA's scenario comes with a few big "ifs." You knew there'd be some ifs, right?

The study assumes the development of a new kind of vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft, powered by electricity-driven propellers. Distributed electric propulsion, or DEP, is the focus of NASA's LEAPTech initiative as well as an assortment of commercial ventures.

To provide enough range, the aircraft would have to use next-generation batteries with at least twice the energy density that's currently commercially available — around 400 watt-hours per kilogram.

There'd have to be an infrastructure to support all those Uber Air flights. The NASA study suggests putting helipads on the roofs of more urban buildings, in the middle of highway cloverleafs, or even on floating barges. Researchers estimate that there's room for at least 200 cloverleaf pads in the Silicon Valley region they targeted.

The Federal Aviation Administration would have to sign off on the regulations for all those added flights. NASA's study determined that the helipads could be built to fit the FAA's clearance restrictions.

To reduce costs, the model calls for an aircraft capable of carrying a pilot and one passenger. NASA says that should cover more than 70 percent of the trips currently conducted by Uber.

The Uber-style model is key to making the economics work: NASA's study assumes that each air taxi would be in the air 1,500 hours a year, or roughly 30 hours a week. "Utilization is king," Moore said.

Moore said the noise factor is the "most severe constraint" for community air taxis. If those next-generation aircraft are as loud as present-day airplanes or helicopters, the idea won't fly. Literally. However, NASA says the motors for a DEP-powered craft could be arranged to create acoustic interference, resulting in a putt-putt that's not as off-putting.

NASA is planning to build an experimental airplane in the next couple of years to demonstrate DEP technology, but commercializing the concept will be left to private ventures such as Joby Aviation, ESAero, Zee Aero, E-Copter and e-volo.

When it comes to the economic model for air taxi services, Moore said British Columbia's Helijet is blazing a trail with its Vancouver-to-Victoria service — and he said next-generation air taxis "would make a lot of sense" for the increasingly congested Seattle region as well.

"Both areas have severe geographic/water ground constraints that are easily circumvented with aerial solutions," Moore told GeekWire in a follow-up email.

So what about owning your own flying car? The NASA study suggests that personal air vehicles wouldn't pay for themselves in terms of energy or time savings, even assuming that next-generation technologies take hold.

Nevertheless, government agencies and high-end customers would probably still be willing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for the roadable aircraft that are being developed by companies such as Terrafugia, Moller International and AeroMobil. The economic factors could be outweighed by the benefits for specialized applications — such as border monitoring — or by the thrill of flight and the prestige of ownership.

"What people are willing to buy at times doesn't always reflect what makes the most economic sense," said Carl Dietrich, Terrafugia's CEO and CTO.

Source: NASA study: Flying air taxis could be as cheap as an Uber ride, and faster

Hold the hovercraft: These technologies are reinventing transportation

Transportation has always been a big part of our far-out visions of the future, whether we imagine flying cars, ultra-fast tubes or Star Trek-style contraptions. While chances are slim that we'll be de-materializing and re-materializing in another spot anytime soon, fast-advancing technology will change the way we get from point A to point B in the near future. Here are the most promising advances.

Hyperloop

Undoubtedly, the Hyperloop is the most futuristic of current transportation proposals. Put forward by Tesla and Space X founder Elon Musk, the Hyperloop is envisaged as a steel tube along which pods about the size of cars travel at up to 760 miles per hour (1,220 kmph) -- faster than jet aircraft.

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies

An artist's image of a proposed Hyperloop transport system under development by Hyperloop Transportation Technologies.

The Hyperloop tube is kept at a partial vacuum, reducing air resistance, and each pod sits on a cushion of air similar to the way a puck sits on an air hockey table. The pods are propelled and slowed by linear induction motors placed at regular intervals along the tube, and a large fan at the front of the pod forces air in front of the pod to behind it, avoiding a pressure build-up that would otherwise slow the craft.

Musk reckons a Hyperloop trip between San Francisco and Los Angeles would take about 35 minutes -- faster than flying and a huge improvement over the 6-hour car journey.

But it's still a dream. Engineers at Musk's companies worked on designs for Hyperloop for a year, but it remains just a concept. To help push it forward, a 57-page white paper detailing the work was published online in August 2013 and Musk asked people to build and improve upon it.

Some are already doing that.

Hyperloop Technologies in Los Angeles envisages the system will be used to transport freight, not people, and one of the routes it's looking at would connect Las Vegas and California. Another would ferry goods up and down the U.S. Pacific coast, and there is even talk of one connecting the manufacturing hubs of Asia with North America.

A company with a similar name, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, already has 400 people working on plans for an actual service -- but don't get too excited. It will run about 5 miles in Quay Valley, a proposed eco-city in central California that itself is a grandiose plan and yet to be built. The service could start as soon as 2018, but $100 million in funding is required ... as is a town and its residents.

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies

An artist's image of a proposed Hyperloop test track being designed by Hyperloop Transportation Technologies

Perhaps the most concrete Hyperloop plan is one funded by Musk himself. While he hasn't committed to building a commercial Hyperloop, Musk does plan to build a test track that will be open to companies and students to test projects based on the technology. Musk hasn't revealed the location, but said in a Tweet that it will most likely be in Texas.

Beyond the technology, there are plenty of other hurdles to overcome.

California has been talking about a high-speed rail line between San Francisco and Los Angeles since the mid-nineties, but a single mile of track still hasn't been laid.

The $68 billion estimated price of the system is controversial in a state that likes to think it's environmentally friendly, but in reality is in love with air travel and cars. State and local politics are just as likely to get in the way of the Hyperloop, especially if it's to snake through the wealthy suburbs of Silicon Valley and Los Angeles.

California High Speed Rail

An artist's conceptual rendering of California's High Speed Rail system

And then there's mother Earth herself. California is one of the most earthquake prone regions in the U.S. and gets many small, localized quakes and occasionally quite large ones. Seismic durability is a hot topic for the proposed high-speed rail link, and the Hyperloop is envisaged to be traveling much faster, so designers will have to come up with a system that can safely bring a pod to a halt in the event of a large earthquake.

Driverless Cars

While the Hyperloop represents Silicon Valley's greatest blue-sky thinking, driverless cars are much closer to reality.

The seeds were sown in 2004 when the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) set a challenge: complete a 150-mile course in central California without a driver.

As a race, it was a failure. The winner completed just over 7 miles. But it helped kick-start numerous development projects. For example, the roof-mounted laser scanner that's become the most recognizable feature of Google's prototype self-driving cars was first developed for the race.

DARPA

Stanford University's Stanley self-driving car, which won the DARPA Challenge in 2005

Production cars started getting early autonomous features at about the same time. They included the ability to stay in lane or reverse into a parking space, and technology has been progressing since then.

The next big step is expected later this year when Tesla adds an "autopilot" mode to its Model S sedan car. It will initially work on highways, not local streets, and tests appear to be going well.

Melissa Aparicio

Nvidia chief executive Jen-Hsun Huang interviews Tesla Motors founder Elon Musk at the Nvidia GPU Technology Conference 2015.

"We're now almost able to travel all the way from San Francisco to Seattle without the driver touching any controls at all," Musk said when he announced the technology in March.

General Motors is hot on Tesla's tail, with plans to introduce a similar mode in its Cadillac cars due out in 2016. The feature, probably appearing first on high-end models, is expected to be an automatic cruise control system that keeps the car within the lane with steering adjustments and automatically adjusts the speed to keep the passengers safe.

As with the Tesla system, GM's technology will initially be limited to highways. That's because there are many fewer variables at play on a long, straight, fast-moving highway than on residential streets.

"Highway cruise is easy, low speed is easy; it's medium that's hard," Musk said. "Being able to recognize what you're seeing and make the right decision in that suburban environment in that 10 mph to 50 mph zone is the challenging portion."

The holy grail of fully autonomous driving is still many years away.

That's because it's incredibly difficult to program cars to recognize and handle every possible situation that can arise. Just look at some of the crazy dashboard camera videos on YouTube and you'll see the kind of things drivers can face on the road. Developing software to recognize, analyze, sort and act on that in a split second is difficult.

Martyn Williams

A Google self-driving navigates streets near the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California, on June 29, 2015.

Just getting a car to drive on a clear, open road is hard enough. Google's cars can do it, but they continuously scan their surroundings and match that to a database that's already been mapped, meaning they can only travel along roads for which data exists in the system.

For an impressive demonstration of state-of-the-art technology, look to Shelley, a converted Audi TTS Coupe developed by students at Stanford University. It can race around a track at up to 120 miles per hour without a person inside. Shelley is packed with sensors, computers and radios that calculate the forces on the car and where exactly it sits on the road, so it can drive as fast as possible without having an accident.

Martyn Williams

Stanford's Shelley prototype self-driving car seen at the university in May 2012.

And for a tantalizing look at the future of car travel, check out the Mercedes Benz F015, a concept driverless vehicle that was unveiled at this year's Detroit Motor Show.

The interior is covered in touch-panel displays, and the front two seats twist around so that up to four passengers can sit and chat while the car takes care of the mundane job of driving. It's almost universally been described as "space age" and it has that futuristic look to it too. A production F015 is at least a decade or more away.

Martyn Williams

The interior of the Mercedes Benz F015 concept car has seats that face each other because the car will do all the driving, seen here at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 13, 2015.

In fact, autonomous technology might come first to the much less sexy world of freight haulage.

Fatigue is a leading cause of trucking accidents, and truck makers see autonomous driving as a way to cut down on accidents and deaths.

Volvo has been studying the idea of road trains as part of a European Union project. The idea is simple: a procession of cars or trucks each automatically follows the one in front as they travel down the highway. The only driver who needs to be paying attention is the one at the head of the procession, as the others will speed up and slow down in time with the lead car.

Such a system is only possible if vehicles can communicate with each other -- something that automakers are working on but for which there is still no standard.

Volvo

A Volvo truck heads a road train of cars that are following automatically during tests in Sweden in 2012.

In the U.S., Daimler recently demonstrated a truck called the Freightliner Inspiration that includes an autopilot mode. For use on highways, it will keep the truck in its lane and a safe distance and speed from other cars, but it's only permitted in Nevada. Regulations of such matters are handled on a state-by-state basis in the U.S.

A recent survey by Boston Consulting Group found 55 percent of 1,510 U.S. consumers questioned thought themselves likely or very likely to at least consider purchasing a partially autonomous car over the next 10 years. But that drops to 44 percent when asked about a fully autonomous car.

One of the most requested features is the ability to take over in heavy traffic. There's perhaps nothing more frustrating than sitting behind the wheel in a traffic jam, inching forward slowly while you wait out the queue.

Alternative Fuels

The age of the electric car is firmly here. In Silicon Valley, electric cars like Nissan's Leaf and the Tesla Model S are a regular sight, thanks in part to generous state incentives. Now similar incentives might be helping usher in the age of hydrogen cars.

These are cousins of electric cars in that they have the same drive train but the electricity to power the car's motor comes from a fuel cell rather than a battery. The fuel cell takes hydrogen from a tank and strips off electrons to produce a flow of electricity. The only byproduct is water, so it's being pushed by automakers as a very clean alternative to gasoline, and because the hydrogen tank can be refilled in just a few minutes, it's much more convenient than electric cars, which might require several hours of charging.

Unfortunately, it's still quite energy-intensive to produce hydrogen in a form suitable for cars, so the entire energy chain isn't as green as it could be.

Car makers have been testing fuel cells for years and Toyota and Honda are now on the verge of commercializing the technology. Toyota's hydrogen fuel cell car, the Mirai, will go on sale this year in California and can travel about 300 miles on a single charge of hydrogen. Refilling the tank takes about five minutes -- much faster than a comparable charge for an electric vehicle.

Martyn Williams

Toyota's Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle on show at CES 2015 in Las Vegas on January 5, 2015.

Filling up on hydrogen is a challenge because only a handful of hydrogen recharging stations exist in the state. But California has committed to building a network of several hundred to support the technology.

Urban Mobility

The final step in future transportation concerns how we get around towns and cities after we've journeyed there by car or train.

Perhaps the most famous idea was the Segway, which launched in 2001 as the future of urban transportation but has found niche applications at best.

That hasn't stopped others from looking at the technology, including Toyota and Honda.

Martyn Williams

A model demonstrates the Toyota Winglet robotic transporter at a Tokyo news conference on August 1, 2008.

The Toyota Winglet prototype is a two-wheeler that the rider stands on, much like the Segway. But it's much smaller and lighter. It has been tested in an airport in Japan, but as yet there are no plans to commercialize it.

Martyn Williams

Riders try out Honda's Uni-Cub during an event at the company's Silicon Valley R&D Center in Mountain View on July 23, 2015.

Honda's Uni-Cub is a single wheeler with an integrated seat. An ingenious two-wheels-in-one arrangement means it can move forwards and sideways on its wheel. Like the Winglet, there are no plans to commercialize it.

Holland's Oxboard has come up with an even more compact way to get around town. You have to stand and be pretty steady, but it's easy to get used to and moves surprisingly fast.

Predicting the future is perilous, but with congestion in cities only worsening, and a desperate need to find less carbon-intensive modes of transport, it's only a matter of time before freeways and city streets start to look like very different places.

Source: Hold the hovercraft: These technologies are reinventing transportation

WalkCar: The Portable “Car in a Bag”

When you hear of a product described as a "car in a bag," you can't help but be intrigued.

That was my reaction when I saw the latest invention from Japan.

Now, I don't know about you, but when I see some of the cool modes of transportation shown in films and on television shows, I wish they'd become reality ASAP!

I mean, who wouldn't want a flying vehicle like those in The Jetsons? We're actually edging closer to that reality with flying cars.

Or hit the road in a car like the Trans Am from Knight Rider?

Or have a car that can fit in your bag?

Yes… a car that can fit in your bag. Like this one…

A Laptop on Wheels

It's called the WalkCar – which admittedly sounds like a bit of an oxymoron.

But a closer look reveals that the device is actually a miniature "car in a bag" that you can transport with you when not in use.

That's because WalkCar essentially looks like a laptop with wheels.

The creation comes from Cocoa Motors (which, again, sounds like an oxymoron!), whose CEO, Kuniaki Sato, explains the thinking behind his invention: "What if we could just carry our transportation in our bags? Wouldn't that mean we'd always have it with us to ride on? And my friend asked me to make one since I was doing my Masters in engineering, specifically on electric car motor control systems."

So he did.

Despite its lightweight size, the aluminum board is remarkably strong. When placed on the ground, WalkCar can support up to 265 pounds and can reportedly even push a person in a wheelchair up an incline.

The power comes from a built-in battery that takes three hours to fully charge using a USB and gives a range of 7.5 miles.

Once you step on board, WalkCar moves automatically and can drift along at a top speed of 6 mph. Steering is similar to a skateboard, with the rider simply shifting his weight left or right. To brake, you just step off the board. (Don't worry… at just a few miles per hour, it's not as if you have to "duck and roll!")

Take a look…

Japanese engineer develops world's first 'car in a bag'

Move Over, Segway

The fact that WalkCar is so small and portable makes it a viable alternative to bigger, pricier rivals, like the tourists' favorite, Segway, as well as Toyota's (TM) Winglet.

Indeed, the design could prove extremely handy for the disabled or elderly.

Sato and Cocoa Motors will launch a Kickstarter campaign for WalkCar next month in an effort to raise funding for the device. If successful, Sato hopes to have a production model released by next spring at a very reasonable $800.

Cheers,

Martin Denholm

Source: WalkCar: The Portable "Car in a Bag"

Toyota Plans To Create Flying Cars

Toyota may possibly manufacture 'flying cars' soon after the car company's patent application to the U.S Patent Office which includes the introduction of their "aerocar" leaked out to the public.

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After the release of its latest 2016 Prius, the Japanese automobile company continues to innovate products as they may be planning to create a technology for flying cars.

The patent application, which has an official code of 20150246720 was first submitted in March 2014 which contained an invention called "aerocar". The innovative vehicle is capable of flying with the use of stackable wings. The application also contains schematic diagrams that specify the construction of its wings.

Unlike other flying vehicles' design, Toyota's idea is to support their automobile with narrow wings instead of the conventional folding and heavy wings which may affect the width and visibility of the vehicle. The wings will be mounted on the top roof avoiding the car to protrude outside the sides of its body.

In the example sketch design, four wings were used, highlighting a solid top and morphing bottom section. This will allow the wings to be more piled and arranged especially when it's not in use.

The structure and the design of it propose that the four wings will be used to produce force for lifting during the take-off. When the vehicle is already in the air, two of its wings will be used to control the speed.

Last June 2014, Toyota had an indicative plans of creating a flying vehicle. However, Hiroyoshi Yoshiki said that the indication only points out to the "investigation" of the technology including the actual development.

Though it is not the first time that a flying car is made, making their designs turn into reality will be a great achievement for Toyota. Henry Ford who is an industry pioneer is said to be the first one to establish a flying car, but unfortunately, the flight led to a fatal crash killing his friend and the chief co-pilot.

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Source: Toyota Plans To Create Flying Cars

The Icon A5 is the closest thing to a flying car you can get today

The Icon A5 can cruise to a little over 300 metres. Photo: Icon

This past Tuesday a plane went down in New York's Hudson River.

The cops were called. Firefighters and emergency medical technicians arrived on the scene.

But instead of a frantic group of passengers floating in a downed Airbus A320, like 2009's Sully Sullenberger "Miracle on the Hudson" moment, officials encountered a delighted group of reporters gathered to test out the Icon A5, a small seaplane that was using the river to take off and land. Everything was going fine, but unknowing onlookers were not used to seeing planes flying so close to the river, so they'd called for help. Firefighters and cops, realising nothing was amiss, stuck around to admire the spectacle. Indeed, the only potential damage at the event was what the Icon A5 will do to the $US219 billion private aviation industry. 

The aircraft's cockpit takes influence from the simplicity of car dashboards. Photo: Icon

"If I already have a float plane, why would I want this?" asked one fireman, whose son is currently learning to fly the more traditional seaplanes in flight school. He was snapping a smartphone pic of the 8.5-metre-long, white-and-red amphibious aircraft bobbing calmly at the dock.

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Icon's founder and chief executive, Kirk Hawkins, didn't hesitate with his reply: "Just look at it!"

Aviation as Lifestyle

The A5 can land on a runway or a river. Photo: Icon

It's hard to argue with the A5's good looks. Lean and angular as a hawk, it looks like a marriage of a Piper M-class and a Jet Ski, with a little bit of sportscar thrown in. You wouldn't blink if you saw it in the Hammacher Schlemmer catalogue. It's not quite like anything that's come before it — cheaper and more oriented to recreation than most planes and more portable and manageable than many boats. In fact, it's not really aimed at current pilots — Icon's founders hope to develop an entirely new market of amateur aviation enthusiasts.

"We want to get airplanes out of airports and into the home," said Hawkins. You can fold the wings up and store it in your garage or put it on a trailer and tow it to a lake or flat, grassy field. It can run on premium unleaded gasoline you'd find at any pump. "It's transportable, not just a transport device. This plane is designed for recreation."

"Most airplanes aren't built for the flying experience. They're built to move stuff or people from A to B," said Hawkins. "This plane has elevated the flying experience first, so you have a very visceral connection with the flying environment. We want to make the barrier to entry lower for anyone whose dream is to fly."

Fundamental Flexibility

Built of a lightweight carbon fibre with retractable landing gear and a 10.6-metre wingspan, the A5 weighs around 450 kg and seats two for a maximum weight of 685 kg. Its 100-horsepower Rotax 912 engine has a maximum speed of 177 kph and a range of 724 kilometres on 75 litres of fuel (auto or aviation). Inside, the unpressurised cockpit takes cues from sports cars, and the UV-coated canopy offers 180-degree views, unobstructed by the propeller, which sits behind the cabin. Side windows easily pop in and out. Humans 190cm and shorter should fit comfortably.

"A high goal for us is that there is a very intuitive user interface," said Hawkins of the cockpit, noting how cars and consumers are highly evolved together. "You end up designing to the same place: simplified control panels, analog gauges, GPS screen. We've distilled flying down to the basics."

The "A" in A5 stands for for amphibious, though it can also land on solid ground. The "5" just seemed like a strong, confident prime number. Like most contemporary consumer products, clean and attractive design was a key strategy. Strip out the complications, make it as easy to use as possible, and above all, keep it fun. 

As a non-pilot, I certainly got the mission. Skimming the water of the Hudson in the early morning, smoothly soaring higher — windows off — I couldn't help but feel like I was in some sort of flying car. Passing above the George Washington Bridge, with the expanse of Manhattan and New Jersey laid out ahead, was certainly breathtaking. Flying in formation with another plane, buzzing around the Statue of Liberty and World Trade Center, a one-of-a-kind thrill. Imagine taking this on a camping trip or seaside home.

Though I can't afford it, I'll admit I wanted one.

Safety Innovations

Two key engineering innovations of the A5 mitigate the risks. One is an easy-to-read Angle of Attack (AoA) gauge, a feature common to military aircraft but virtually unknown in civilian planes. In general terms it tells you how your wings are performing, or rather how much lift they're providing in whatever manoeuvre you're currently in. Keep the needle in the green zone, you're good; hit the yellow zone, and an audible alarm goes off to tell you to correct; hit the red, and you've stalled (i.e. there's no lift on the wings). At this point the plane starts to shake and protest physically — clearly something is wrong.

This is where the second innovation comes in: a Spin-Resistant Airframe, the first to meet the full US standards for spin resistance.

A main danger of a stalled plane is that it can enter an uncontrolled spin should there be any yaw (lateral) movement — say, in a turn while on approach to land, which could result in a crash; 41 per cent of pilot-related fatalities are due to stall/spin crashes. In the A5, you may stall — and Hawkins intentionally did during our flight (to my chagrin) to show me this feature — but you don't lose control or lift, and it's fairly difficult to enter a spin. (Or as I assumed might happen as a non-pilot, drop like a bowling ball.) For newer pilots, the ease of recovery is an obvious boon.

After those measures, there's an optional rocket-powered parachute for the whole craft.

Base price for the A5 is $US197,000 ($274,000) with up to $US50,000 in additional options. To date, Icon has received more than 1500 preorders, which represent more than $US400 million in sales. As a new factory in Vacaville, California, ramps up production, you'd see delivery in three years if you placed your $US5000 deposit today.

Hawkins says he wants to inspire consumers to fly — and not just fly, but be a pilot and all things associated with that. To get there, he's taking a page from Tesla and plans to open plane showrooms, making Icon's planes as easily accessible as a car. With 40 per cent of current sales from non-pilots, he plans to turn Icon's own $US10,000 two-week training course into a fully immersive vacation, an experience in and of itself. 

"Our long-term goal is to democratise aviation. Humans will move in three dimensions on a personal level. It's in our future."

Bloomberg

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Source: The Icon A5 is the closest thing to a flying car you can get today

Toyota Files Patent For Flying Car Technology

First Posted: Sep 17, 2015 03:54 AM EDT

TagsToyota, flying cars, cars with wings, off-road

A Toyota logo seen on the Mira Credit:Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

A Japanese automotive manufacturer, located at Aichi, Japan, might be cooking up something to give the car industry a new meaning on off-road experience. Toyota, which has perfected practical merchandises like the Corolla and the Land Cruiser, has filed an obvious application for a drifting car. 

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Well, not exactly a car that drifts like in the Tokyo Drift movie, but with a distinctive, stackable wing accompaniment that could make it thinkable. The emphasis contends that many roadable jet designs rely on substantial, hinged wings that allow a scope and distinction of a car when it is in the pushing mode. And as an alternative, Toyota has thought of attaching more than a few slight wings on the roof of a car that would not oust over the sides of a shape and can be arrayed as needed.

In an enclosed pattern, a four-wing design is engaged -- highlighting a plain tip and a transforming bottom zone permits them to be meticulously built when not in use. A simplified account of an operation proposes that all four wings would be cast-off to beget acceptable lift for ascent while dual setting could keep a car upward during touring speed.

The design of a vehicle's fuselage is calculatedly deceiving and basic. Hence, an outline covers barely any form of energy basis or driven circle mixture, while in-flight behavior could probably be -- supposing by a build-up of rear-mounted bearing thrust structures.

Toyota would usually oppose that these designs picture intellect, revolution, manufacturing and desire of its engineers and researchers when questioned for criticism on an application. Having that said, it gives everyone a hint that nothing like this has been projected yet with regard to the duration of its internal dealership anytime soon.

Then again, Honda, a multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles and power equipment, recently got into an executive jet business, so sky is still the limit, even for automobile companies. 

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Source: Toyota Files Patent For Flying Car Technology

Toyota’s Flying Car Patent Looks Like Henry Ford Drawing the Wright Brother’s Plane ‘Details’

Toyota Motor Corp., which is interested in all sorts of mobility, has filed for a patent that could lead to a flying car.

According to Car and Driver, in the application that was filed back in March 2014, but only just published by the US Patent and Trademark Office, Toyota and two US inventors submitted designs and specifications for a "stackable wing for an aerocar".

Toyota's flying vehicle features a set of wings situated on the car's roof that can be raised and lowered as needed. When the vehicle is in "roadable mode", namely driving on terra firma, the stack of wings sit tight against each other on the top of the car.

Unlike other flying cars, such as the one being planned by Terrafugia for 2021, Toyota's vehicle doesn't have collapsable wings on its side. This is done partially for aesthetics, but also to eliminate the road-going blind spots caused by folded up side-mounted wings.

The wings in Toyota's hypothetical aerocar can then be raised as required for takeoff, cruising and landing. The section of every wing, except the top one, can be modified via internal actuators. This not only allows the car to adjust the amount of lift created, but also means that the wings can be stacked in a more space efficient manner.

Not much is said by Toyota about about the flying car's means of propulsion, except that it may be supplied by a "pusher propeller, open rotor, turbofan, or other thrust generation system".

Source: Toyota's Flying Car Patent Looks Like Henry Ford Drawing the Wright Brother's Plane 'Details'

Look: Flying car unveiled at China Helicopter Exposition in Tianjin

Weighing in at about 100kg with retractable propellor arms and a streamlined body, the "Fighting Gazelle" is the answer to Chinese Sci-fi fans' dreams. The flying car was unveiled last week at the 5-day China Helicopter Exposition in Tianjin, which this year showcased 50 new helicopters.

The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) is developing the car to deal with rough terrain, and especially stretches of road with obstructions. Hong Xiao, the head of the helicopter office in the AVIC, told CCTV: "While you are driving to where the road is broken, or facing a gully, you can press a button to lift the car. It will then fly over the obstacles and reach the other side of the road." He added that the propellor arms retract to return the vehicle into car-mode.

The current 100kg model isn't a vehicle for transporting people, the makers are still working on a heavier version capable of doing so. Like a drone, it has passed unmanned flight tests and future models are intended for military usage. They may even go into commercial production.

Hong says, "Our next plan is to make one weighing around two to three tons in two years time."

The flying car has been trending on Chinese social networking.

by Daniel Cunningham

Source: Look: Flying car unveiled at China Helicopter Exposition in Tianjin

Toyota Planning To Build Flying Car, Patent Application Suggests

Toyota is poised to be the first mainstream automaker to offer a flying car if the "aerocar" mentioned in its patent application is built soon.

By Chris Loterina | Sep 13, 2015 12:51 PM EDT

The schematics included in the Toyota's patent application for an "aerocar." (Photo : Twitter/Road & Track)

Several days after Toyota unveiled its 2016 Prius, the automaker is once again making its way into the limelight after a patent application filed in the U.S. Patent Office was discovered last week.

The patent, which was first submitted in March 2014, identifies an "aerocar" capable of flying based on stackable wings. Toyota's proposal, which is currently identified as patent application 20150246720, includes a schematic that details a wing construction that is able to morph and extend upward from the roof. More details of the patent can be accessed through this link.

Toyota indicated plans to build a flying car in June 2014. The confirmed statement points to an "investigation" rather than development of a technology that would get the car a little bit away from the road to reduce friction, said Hiroyoshi Yoshiki, managing officer at Toyota's technical administration group.

If this what Toyota is aiming for, the technology could resemble a hovercraft. The company, however, has not confirmed how serious it is in building the aerocar, NBC News reported.

The patent application, however, provide fresh insights as to how Toyota intends to build its aerocar. It is not a radical departure from the automobile it is currently making except for its capability to fly. What is not clear in the schematics, however, is how the vehicle will move since the application did not mention a technology that would propel it forward.

If the Toyota aerocar is finally built, it will not be the world's first working flying car. There are already working prototypes, such as the Terrafugia TF-X (see video above), as HNGN previously reported.

Source: Toyota Planning To Build Flying Car, Patent Application Suggests

Tech firms steer changes in driving

Published: Sunday, 9/13/2015

ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN FRANCISCO — A veteran computer scientist hates sitting in his car at stop lights, so he creates software that makes the experience less annoying. A former engineering professor wants to double the range of today's electric vehicles. And an aeronautics expert believes flying cars shouldn't be science fiction.

It's no secret that technology is changing the car industry. The major automakers, as well as tech giants such as Google Inc. and possibly Apple Inc., are laying the groundwork for the first driverless cars.

Meanwhile, a number of engineers and entrepreneurs have started companies to tackle other automotive challenges.

Here are some start-ups that want to change the way you drive:

TERRAGUGIA

Terrafugia, a privately backed start-up in Woburn, Mass., says on its website that flying cars have become a pop-culture symbol for dreams that don't come true. Chief Executive Officer Carl Dietrich wants to change that.

Two years ago, Mr. Dietrich and his co-founders — all MIT graduates — wowed observers at a Wisconsin air show by flying a gasoline-powered light plane the size of a sport utility vehicle, which can fold its wings and meet legal requirements for highway driving. The firm hopes to deliver a version to customers in 2017, at an anticipated price of $279,000.

Terrafugia is also working on a concept for a sleeker, electric-powered vehicle with rotors for vertical takeoff. Mr. Dietrich acknowledged it will take years to use software and automation to build a car that doesn't require a pilot's license to fly.

"Our first product is very much an airplane that can be driven," he said, "but it's putting our company in position to make a car that can fly.

CONNECTED SIGNALS

Matt Ginsberg, entrepreneur and computer scientist, hates red lights. They take forever to change green, and then your mind wanders while you wait, until the guy behind you starts leaning on his horm.

So Mr. Ginsberg started Connected Signals, based in Eugene, Ore., to collect real-time data from cities that synchronize their signals. The company's smart-phone app tells motorists if an upcoming signal is about to change color. It shows drivers how long they'll have to wait if a light is red and chimes a warning just before it turns green.

The app helps prevent distraction, unnecessary acceleration, and delays, Mr. Ginsberg said. BMW has added it to its driver display. Mr. Ginsberg also sees an opportunity in selling data for automotive systems that shut off a car's engine to save gas during longer red lights. One hurdle is getting the raw data from individual cities: Mr. Ginsberg has agreements with about 100 towns and hopes to cover half the United States by 2017.

PARKME

Sam Friedman and Alex Israel missed the start of a movie because they couldn't find a place to park. That's when the two friends since kindergarten decided to launch Los Angeles-based ParkMe, one of several start-ups with smart-phone apps that help drivers find, reserve, and pay online for parking spots.

But ParkMe boasts parking information from 1,800 cities worldwide, much of it collected via live feeds from ticket dispensers at commercial and municipal lots.

The company also gets street-parking data from meters that accept credit cards and from cities that use pavement sensors for parking enforcement. ParkMe also sells the app to planning agencies and car companies, including Audi, for their navigation systems.

METROMILE

That little diagnostic port under your car's dashboard isn't just for mechanics. It can provide useful information for drivers and insurance companies too.

Several start-ups use matchbox-sized devices that plug into the port and send information on a car's performance to the driver's smart phone. San Francisco start-up MetroMile sells car insurance on a pay-per-mile basis, using a similar device to verify the miles driven.

Other insurance firms are trying similar devices to track drivers' behavior, but MetroMile says it won't penalize a customer for speeding or slamming the brakes. The company promises significant savings for people who don't drive much. That may limit the potential market, although CEO Dan Preston said drivers get useful data from the app.

CRUISE AUTOMATION

You don't need to wait years to enjoy autonomous driving. At least that's the premise behind Cruise Automation's "highway autopilot" kit.

Cruise engineers have retrofitted some recent Audi models with prototype kits consisting of rooftop sensors, a computer in the trunk,, and controls that fit behind the steering wheel. Founder Kyle Vogt says the system will keep a car within its freeway lane, while steering around curves and maintaining safe distance from other vehicles.

Mr. Vogt, a software engineer who helped launch streaming video service Twitch.tv, said last year he hoped to deliver the first kits to customers this year. But he stressed the importance of testing the product to ensure it is safe. Cruise received a permit in June to conduct tests on California highways.

SAKTI3

Most electric vehicles on the market only go 100 miles on a charge. A better battery is the industry's "Holy Grail," said investor Quin Garcia of Auto Tech Ventures, which funds automotive start-ups.

Sakti3, based in Ann Arbor, is among several start-ups trying new approaches to lithium-ion batteries. Founder Ann Marie Sastry, a former engineering professor at the University of Michigan, was invited to a White House event last month to explain her ideas for making powerful batteries more cheaply.

It's not enough to come up with an idea for a new battery, Ms. Sastry said. "If you can't make it cost-effectively, you can't have an impact." She's using computer simulations to design processes for making solid-state batteries that are lighter and hold twice the energy, providing more range. Appliance-maker Dyson Inc. has invested in Sakti3 as had General Motors.

Source: Tech firms steer changes in driving

Toyota files patent for wings for possible flying car

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Toyota has filed a patent in the United States for what it calls a "stackable wing for an aerocar."

Patent number US20150246720, which was published earlier this week, is a design for a multiple-wing system that can fold and be stored on the roof while the car is driving.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2015/0246720 A1

Toyota notes the wings can change shape based on the mode.

"Flying has always been a dream central to the history of humanity," reads the patent. "Vehicles (aerocars) that demonstrate such capability provide operators with freedom, comfort and the ability to arrive quickly to a destination as mobility becomes three-dimensional yet remains private and personal."

The drawing is fairly basic and doesn't include details on how the car could take off, land o r stay stable in the air. It appears to be a patent just on the wings.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2015/0246720 A1

The idea and development of a flying car has been around for a decades and some are getting close.

Boeing engineers build the Sky Commuter in the 1980s managing to burn through $6 million of investors' money before scrapping the project.

But in March, Aeromobil, a Slovakian firm, announced it will be producing fully fledged consumer flying cars by 2017. The company showed off its first working flying car prototype in Montreal in 2013. The newest prototype, Aeromobile 3.0, fits into a parking spot, uses regular gas, lands within 200 metres and can carry two people for 700 kilometres at a top speed of 200 km/h. However, AeroMobil won't be cheap. It will likely cost in th e hundreds of thousands and be for "wealthy supercar buyers and flight enthusiast."

A design team called the Terrafugia Transition is testing wings that fold like a Swiss Army knife. To use the Terrafugia you need a pilot's licence and the vehicle is longer than a pickup truck with a similar amount of space inside as a Smart Car.

Based on the Toyota patent application, it doesn't looks like we'll see a flying Prius in the near future, but the auto maker may just be hedging against any possible future innovation in the area of flying cars.

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Source: Toyota files patent for wings for possible flying car

This shiny contraption is apparently the police car of the future

A CAR with vertical lift-off capabilities has gone on display ahead of its use on military patrols.

Published 10th September 2015

CEN

ROBO-COP: Criminals won't have anywhere to hide when cops are flying around in these

The new flying car dubbed the "Sai Ling" – Chinese for "swift gazelle" – was created by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and is on display this week at a convention in Tianjin.

And although there were numerous other helicopters and conceptual aircraft, the Sai Ling took centre stage.

AVIC are as always the main exhibitor at the tech expo, and as such they decided to showcase the red, multi-rotor flying car as their headlining vehicle.

"An integral part of our daily lives in the future"

AVIC researcher Huang Shuilin

According to AVIC researcher Huang Shuilin, the Sai Ling is able to drive and adapt to complex land surfaces, as well as being capable of taking off and landing vertically.

It also has hovering, flying and yawing capabilities, all of which are made possible by propellers that stretch out from the sides of the vehicle.

With the propellers retracted and hidden, the Sai Ling operates like an ordinary car. But it converts into a sci-fi-worthy "airphibious" vehicle at the flick of a switch.

Shuilin says the car weighs just 100 kilogrammes, and that while the car is still being developed, he expects similar vehicles to be what he described as "an integral part of our daily lives in the future".

He said he foresees self-driving flying cars as a possible modification that may not be so far into the future either.

However, reports said it will be the Chinese military who gets to test the vehicle first. The army is said to be planning to use the vehicle for military patrols and has reportedly already done a deal.

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Source: This shiny contraption is apparently the police car of the future

Toyota, Two Inventors File Patent for “Aerocar” with Dynamic, Stackable Wing System

No, the children's doodle of a flying car pictured here isn't a joke. This is an actual Toyota patent filing for a "stackable wing for an aerocar" that was just recently published by the U.S. Patent Office and reported by Automotive News. That horizontal line with the diagonal squiggles underneath it? That's the ground. The wheels attached to that baleen Prius-shaped thing with a dorsal fin? Yeah, those are not touching the ground. Now may we direct your attention to the series of wings that look to be fitted to a tall pole protruding from the vehicle's roof; this stackable wing apparatus forms the actual meat of Toyota's patent filing.

To read the patent filing, which was jointly submitted by Toyota and two inventors, is to be fed the assumption that "aerocars" are a mature technology in search of improvements. Trivial matters like propulsion sources are brushed off, Toyota offering that thrust could be sourced from things "such as a pusher propeller, open rotor, turbofan, or other thrust generation system in flight mode." You know, plane stuff. It appears that Toyota is merely hedging against future use of a similar stacked-wing design with various power sources, both for in-flight and on the road.

So reconfigure your brains and just assume flying cars are a thing, okay? Addressing aerocar concerns both practical and vain, Toyota claims its novel "closely stowable" wing design, which can collapse into a vaguely car-top carrier–sized volume, "does not interfere with the side and aft view for the driver" when in its "roadable mode." As for the overall package's compactness, that "facilitates, for example, a low profile and stylish body design potential." Driving down the street in your flying car is so much easier when your wings aren't creating blind spots and cramping your style. It's mighty considerate of Toyota to think of hypothetical aerocar buyers' vanity—and a bit surprising, given the look of the new Prius and the Mirai hydrogen-fuel-cell car.

Intriguingly, Toyota's patent lacks much clarity surrounding the width of the aerocar's stackable wing sections—and herein lies the patent's true focus. Assuming the sections are relatively narrow, perhaps as narrow as the car itself (remember, roadable mode visibility is a priority), there is thus a need for multiple airfoils piled atop one another. If you can't get the necessary wing area (and by the same token, the necessary lift) by stretching out, stretch up! Besides deploying from its stowed "roadable mode," the wings can assume various positions for takeoff, landing, and cruising. While the highest wing features a fixed section, the lower wings incorporate internal actuators to vary their section (see Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, immediately above); this not only alters the wing's production of lift, but also enables the wing to shrink in thickness for stowage—a critical capability when multiple wings must be stacked.

We highly doubt Toyota is actively working on a flying car, and most likely this patent is something the company filed, again, to hedge against future, um, innovation in this area. More worryingly, at least from our perspective, is that Toyota was investing time on this baloney while we continue to wait for the fruits of more enticing efforts, like, say, the automaker's perpetually just-around-the-corner sports car being co-developed with BMW.

Source: Toyota, Two Inventors File Patent for "Aerocar" with Dynamic, Stackable Wing System

See the FantastiCar and H.E.R.B.I.E. That Almost Made It Into Fantastic Four

I don't think having a flying car or a lovable robot could have saved Josh Trank's Fantastic Four movie, but by god, they definitely couldn't have hurt. As it turns out, both H.E.R.B.I.E. and the FantastiCar were almost included in the film, and here's the concept art to prove it.

The art comes from concept artist Fausto De Martini, because Trank wanted both the robot and the flying car in the movie. According to Entertainment Weekly, it was Fox that shot down the idea of adding these wackier, more comic book-y elements to the film, so phooey on them.

So at first glance, I recoiled at horror when I saw the FantastiVan as being awful, but the more I think about it, the more I think the foremost family of the Marvel universe should totally be traveling together in a flying '70s van. It's goofy as hell, but it's also kind of perfect for them. And sure, it's definitely silly, but if the Fantastic Four movie needed anything it was a major dose of silliness.

[Via ComicBook.com]

Contact the author at rob@io9.com.

Source: See the FantastiCar and H.E.R.B.I.E. That Almost Made It Into Fantastic Four

Toyota's 'aerocar' will have WINGS hidden in the roof: Patent reveals plans for a flying vehicle resembling a multiplane

The patent was filed by Kentucky-based car maker Toyota in March 2014

Called 'Stackable wing for an aerocar', illustrations resemble a multiplane

Four wings are built into the roof and can be deployed individually

Other details are vague and the files don't reveal how the car would lift off

By Victoria Woollaston for MailOnline

Published: 03:49 EST, 8 September 2015 | Updated: 04:06 EST, 8 September 2015

3

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Flying cars still feel like the stuff of science fiction despite a number of breakthroughs in recent years, but Toyota is hoping to bring the technology to the masses. 

The Kentucky-based car manufacturer has been awarded a patent for a vehicle with wings hidden in the roof that can be deployed at the touch of a button. 

Illustrations reveal the rotating wings being stacked in a row of four and each can be deployed individually so the car resembles the kind of multiplanes seen in the early days of aviation.

Scroll down for video 

Toyota has been awarded a patent for a vehicle with wings hidden in the roof that can be deployed at the touch of a button. Illustrations (pictured) reveal the rotating wings being stacked in a row of four and each can be deployed individually so the car resembles the kind of multiplanes seen i n the early days of aviation

The patent was filed in March 2014 and awarded earlier this week. 

Toyota explained: 'Flying has always been a dream central to the history of humanity. 

'Aerocars or roadable aircraft are defined as vehicles that may be driven on roads as well as take off, fly, and land as aircraft. 

TOYOTA'S HYDROGEN-POWERED MIRAI COMING TO EUROPE 

Toyota's hydrogen-powered Mirai car, which launched in Japan last year, is coming to Europe this autumn. 

Mirai, which means 'future' in Japanese, is the world's first mass-produced car to be powered by hydrogen.

Most electric cars typically achieve a range of 75 miles (120km) but Toyota's Mirai can reach 300 miles (482km) and its 5kg hydrogen tanks can be refuelled in five minutes.

The car is expected to cost around £55,000 after it is launched in Germany next month.

'Vehicles that demonstrate such capability provide operators with freedom, comfort, and the ability to arrive quickly to a destination as mobility becomes three-dimensional yet remains private and personal.'

It continued that the biggest problem is developing a craft that will fit on a road and in parking spaces, but has the flight stability and control of a plane. 

It is particularly critical of flying car designs that place the foldable wings on the side of the vehicles, noting that 'although effective, the more numerous the fold locations, the greater the weight and complexity that necessarily influences operability in each mode.'

These designs also limit the side views of people inside the car.

To solve this problem, Toyota proposes stacking wings in the roof of the car. 

When deployed, one wing rises from the roof and rotates into position, a second can then be deployed, followed by a third and fourth. 

Or as Toyota described: 'The present disclosure pertains to a vehicle that can be flown as a fixed wing aircraft and driven as a land vehicle. 

Toyota proposes stacking wings in the roof of the car. When deployed, one wing rises from the roof and rotates into position (wings pictured left), a second can then be deployed, followed by a third and fourth (pictured right)

Illustrations showing the fully-deployed wings in the patent make the car resemble the multiplanes of the late 19th and early 20th century. An early French multiplane from the 1890s is pictured. Other details in the patent are vague and Toyota doesn't explain how the car would get the propulsion needed to take off

'More specifically, the present di sclosure is directed to stackable wing architectures.'

Other details are vague and Toyota doesn't explain how the car would get the propulsion needed to take off. 

However, illustrations showing the fully-deployed wings make the car resemble the multiplanes of the late 19th and early 20th century. 

In particular, the Maxim designed by Hiram Maxim in the 1890s and the range of Phillips Multiplanes from the early 1990s. 

The Phillips Multiplane I had 20 stacked wings and a model built in 1907 flew 500ft (152 metres), but the design wasn't as successful as conventional plane types.

The idea for an airborne car has been a science fiction dream since the cartoon The Jetsons (shown) and hit film Back to the Future - and has now moved a step closer to reality

In July, Terrafugia - one of the firm's leading the flying car movement - unveiled new designs for its revolutionary vehicle known as the TF-X (pictured) with wings that are stowed on the side. Toyota criticises such designs in its patent because they add too much weight and complexity

In July, Terrafugia - one of the firm's leading the flying car movement - unveiled new designs for its revolutionary vehicle known as the TF-X. 

Terrafugia's concept vehicle - which doubles as both a plane and a land car - has fold-out wings with twin electric motors attached to each end.

These motors allow the TF-X to move from a vertical to a horizontal position, and will be powered by a 300hp engine.

According to the company, thrust will be provided by a ducted fan and the vehicle will have a cruising speed of 200 mph (322 km/h), along with a 500 mile (805 km) flight range.

The planned four-person TF-X will be semi-autonmous and use computer-controls so that passengers can simply type in a destination before taking off.   

Terrafugia also provided a new animation showing how the T-FX would operate. To take-off, the video shows how electric-powered propellers tilt 90 degrees.

Terrafugia's concept vehicle (pictured) - which doubles as both a plane and a land car - has fold-out wings with twin electric motors attached to each end. These motors allow the TF-X to move from a vertical to a horizontal position, and will be powered by a 300hp engine  

The planned four-person TF-X will be semi-autonomous and use computer-controls so that passengers can simply type in a destination before taking off

Source: Toyota's 'aerocar' will have WINGS hidden in the roof: Patent reveals plans for a flying vehicle resembling a multiplane

Flying car 'crashes' onto MIT dome

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (WHDH) -

Another prank took place overnight Thursday into Friday at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

What appeared to be a fake flying car "crashed" into a dome on campus. 

The front end of the car was under a sign that said "splat!"

The other half landed on top of the dome. 

Crews are working to take the debris down. 

Source: Flying car 'crashes' onto MIT dome

Is Toyota Working on a Ridiculous Flying Car?

Auto News Is Toyota Working on a Ridiculous Flying Car? 2015 Honda Fit Recalled for Faulty... Subaru Announces Pricing on HyperBlue... Share Tweet Subscribe Get AutoGuide.com in your Inbox

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Toyota has recently filed a strange patent that hints the company may be developing a flying car.

The patent was filed in the U.S. and published today for a "stackable wing for an aerocar."

The patent was originally filed on March 2, 2014 and its abstract reads: "A wing includes an upper surface that forms a generally fixed shape and a lower surface adjacent to the upper surface. The lower surface is morphable between a stowed shape and a deployed shape. A method of morphing a wing includes morphing a lower surface between a stowed shape and a deployed shape. The lower surface curves towards the supper surface in the stowed shape and curves away from the upper surface in the deployed shape."

SEE ALSO: Your Best Look Yet at the 2016 Toyota Prius

You'd be forgiven for not being able to decipher what all that jargon means. Although the patent itself focuses on a stackable wing, the more important news is that Toyota is apparently developing an aerocar with wings. In the background section of the patent, Toyota explicitly said, "The present disclosure pertains to a vehicle that can be flown as a fixed wing aircraft and driven as a land vehicle."

After doing some digging, we also found another patent that was published in August and filed in February for "a wing includes a dual channel wing with an outboard channel that extends spanwise from an inboard channel." Essentially it's a dual channel wing for an aerocar that can be stowed in a roadable mode within or against the aerocar, according to Toyota. This wing however, makes the car look really like an airplane, complete with propellers.

Perhaps all those dreams of flying cars may become a reality and it's surprising that Toyota is willing to invest into making that dream real.

Discuss this story at our Toyota Forum

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Bug S Bunny

Ridiculous flying car? Why not? They already developed that absurdly stupid hoverboard.

silverbullet

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE THE WORLD'S AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURERS TO CATCH UP WITH SAMUEL HAY?

With the thousands of automotive engineers and designers working around the world how is it possible for one man working alone, to produce designs light years ahead of everyone, including Tesla?

For all intents and purposes, there is nothing else on the planet even close to the technology created by Samuel Hay. Of course he didn't just come out of nowhere. He was inventing things as early as 1950 when he was only eight years old and was a solar energy pioneer in the sixties. Everyone alive today has seen and even touched many of his designs over the years.

Of particular interest is that his ninth grade English class paper, for 25% of the totally yearly grade was titled, "My Career in Automotive Engineering." He says you can ask his pal Johnny Presley who used it as a guide for his own paper after learning Hay made an A+!

Maybe the "Automobile of the Future" will be his crowing glory but he really doesn't think so. Now into deep space propulsion, which he states has nothing do to with solid or liquid fuel, seems to light up his face when he discusses what little he can divulge at this point.

Beginning with the concept that automobiles have not made one bit of real progress in a hundred years, he spent five full years on nothing but passenger safety. Having successfully designed the safest automobile passenger compartment ever, he proceeded to design the car around that. Maybe that explains why it is totally indistinguishable as an automobile!

If you took a dozen people having seen the automobile for the first time, most likely each and everyone would say, "I have absolutely no idea what that is!"

So, we determine that the most advanced automobile on earth doesn't have to look like an automobile. First of all, it has no doors. The passenger compartment has no blind spots and is impervious to most any condition which may be encountered on the highway. You have to ask yourself, "Who on earth wouldn't want to own the safest car money can buy?" And that brings up another important point, the cost. This automobile is so simple to build, it is going to be a shock, pricewise, to the automotive world.

How could that possibly be? Its just too simple. If you walk into a parts store today, look around, you would discover almost 90% of everything you look at will be obsolete. Not because so many new parts will be required but because, again it is so very simple to construct. And fewer parts means less intensive labor costs as well.

Just to name a few; it has no brakes as you know brakes. No drums, pads, rotors, discs, nothing, and that means there are no parts of this nature to ever wear out. How well does it stop? How does 47 feet from 60 to zero sound to you?

With no engine, transmission, drive shafts, short shafts, clutches, universal joints, pressure plates it really does start to get interesting.

No computers, no airbags, but again remember the origins were in passenger safety so never fear. There are just so many things it doesn't have due to the advantages of the design and it is a dream to maintain. You just have no idea how this all could be until you see it for yourself. One of the main components is even a sustainable product! Not a metal or an alloy. The car also has no known shocks or springs as such.

Who will own this technology in the future? Who will dominate the entire automobile industry, worldwide, for decades to come? Time will tell as Hay moves on to his more recent projects and hopes the best man wins out to manufacture The Automobile of the Future.

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