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

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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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