Drones have been in the news for past few years, either as cameras or for delivering objects. However this Chinese company has pushed the envelope and how!
It has showcased the innovative human carrying drone–Ehang 184, at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) this year. This makes EHang the first ever creator of passenger drones. Ehang 184 boasts of a comfortable cabin environment and offers a stable flight experience. Its dynamic balance and wind resistance ensures a bump-free flight even in windy conditions.
Weighing at 200 kgs, Ehang 184 can carry a maximum load of 100 kgs while offering an average speed of 100 km/hr. It requires a minimum 2 hour charging time and once fully charged, can offer a 23 minute flight at sea level. Sydney Morning Herald quotes the company executives saying that after setting the flight plan, passengers only need to give two commands: "take off" and "land." These instructions are controlled on a Microsoft Surface tablet.
China-based EHang, Inc. is a technology oriented company specializing in smart drone research, development, manufacturing and sales. The company claims to develop the easiest drones to fly in the world and are hoping to make drones accessible to everyone.
EHang was founded 2 years back in 2014 and has offices across China and one in San Francisco. It has already raised $10 million series A and $42 million series B funding and is rated one of the top 50 innovative Chinese companies in 2014. Their drones can be adapted to the requirements of different industries and can be used for filming, landscape mapping, news gathering, energy resource survey, search & rescue, investigation & monitoring, logistics and so on.
But there is still time before we actually see people travelling in the air. According to techradar, it is not clear how passenger drones will be received (by authorities and law makers). This is because, the idea of a human travelling inside a drone only complicates matters when it comes to drone policy. This means that it will take years for Ehang 184 to go in full production.
Source: First Flying Car Revealed! Human-Carrying Drone Coolest Thing at CES 2016
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