Forget self-driving cars, Uber has a new one for you... flying cars. The company calls it Uber Elevate and within a decade it'll be a global network of on demand urban electric aircraft that take off and land vertically.
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In 2040, the roads will be occupied by self-driving cars. People will be shot through a series of tubes at 700 mph from city to city and, if Silicon Valley has its way, people will be hailing "flying cars" to avoid rush-hour traffic.
That's the dream Uber's Chief Product Officer Jeff Holden laid out in a 99-page white paper today: A future where Uber riders can hail a Jetsons-like vertical takeoff and landing aircraft from their phones (or whatever device we may be using at that point).
What is a VTOL aircraft? It's a plane that uses propulsion to become airborne and land vertically (like a rocket).
Is Uber building them? No.
So what is this paper about? The ride-hail giant lays out what needs to be done for companies that want to build these VTOL planes.
Why? A couple of reasons: 1) So they can commercialize these planes for money; 2) So they can provide an alternative to car ownership that would ostensibly take cars off the road and funnel more users to their core business of car-hailing.
The company has been seriously researching the technology for quite some time, and it could be in use within a decade, Holden told Kara Swisher at the Nantucket Conference in September. The paper, which is very detailed, lays out the benefits of VTOL travel (less congestion, fewer emissions, may eventually be cheaper) and the many, many regulatory and logistical hurdles any company attempting to build and commercialize these aircrafts will come across.
It's Uber's — and by extension CEO Travis Kalanick's — attempt at catalyzing companies with the ambition to create "air taxis" to start building. In exchange, Uber plans to deliver a clear market and demand for the vehicles when they've figured it out. It's a paper in some ways akin to Elon Musk's Hyperloop blueprint that spurred the creation of two private companies, Hyperloop One and Hyperloop Technologies, that are both working vigorously to make the idea a reality.
Except — yes, there is an exception — there are a number of companies already working on flying cars, as Holden admitted. In other words, this is not exactly revolutionary in the same way Hyperloop was. Airbus' Silicon Valley subsidiary A³ recently unveiled its VTOL concept called Vahana and said it plans to have a working prototype by the end of 2017. Alphabet's Larry Page has a "flying car" company called Zee.Aero that as of June had 150 employees.
So while Holden's paper may not be creating an entirely new market for an unforeseen mode of transportation, it does have the potential to mobilize companies that have not yet begun their foray into flying cars but have the resources, engineering skills and ambitions to do it.
Uber is basically saying: If you build it, we will come (and we will help you commercialize your flying car).
But Holden, a former Groupon and Amazon executive, doesn't leave these companies hanging. The paper dives deeply into everything from barriers to market, certification, regulatory hurdles, pilot training and noise issues (since the aircraft will be flying so low).
It's not exactly scientific. Instead, the paper reads as a plea or a pitch to the chief business officers of Silicon Valley and beyond.
Here are some of the top points:
Who's driving it: Pilots will initially fly the aircraft, but like all things that are born in Silicon Valley, eventually it will be automated. A huge barrier to getting people to agree to take Uber Elevate — the name of the service — over taking Uber X or UberPool is convincing them that it's safe. In order to ensure these flying vehicles are safe, Holden argues, they will have to take the human error aspect out of the equation. So while they'll be training pilots initially, the idea is the "flying taxis" will eventually be semi- and then fully automated.
"Over time it's highly likely that VTOLs will become autonomous, though we expect that initial operations will require pilots. Utilizing pilots in the initial period permits a strategy of building up statistical proof for FAA certification while slowly increasing the level of automation."
Autonomous technology in the air isn't exactly new, either. Autopilot technology has been used for decades particularly because there are so few obstacles to navigate around in the air. But as it is for planes, weather will be a bigger factor than it is for cars.
"Compared to ground vehicles, the environment in which VTOL aircraft operate is far more open and uncluttered, except during takeoff and landing when operating in close proximity to the ground, buildings, and people."
How much will it cost: Here are some of the numbers: At a low production rate of 12 units per year, it will cost $1.2 million a unit. For around 500 units a year, it will cost $600,000 and at 5,000 units a year it will cost $200,000 a pop. But aircraft production levels haven't been that high since 1946.
"This post-WWII high production was a result of industry attempting to repurpose to civil markets, with a large number of pilots suddenly having been introduced to the market place. In the years after 1946 there was a sudden reduction in annual production and manufacturing rates have never again risen to 1946 levels."
However, these VTOL aircraft will have a longer lifespan than ground vehicles, which are typically manufactured to travel 250,000 miles.
We assume a design life of 25-27k hours for the VTOL to permit 13 years of service with the 2080 hour/year utilization. This enables the vehicle to provide 400,000 miles of service each year and about 5 million miles of service life before the aircraft is salvaged at a residual value of 30%.
As for the operating costs, Holden assumes it will be $50,000 a year for a piloted VTOL and, when they become automated, companies will have to pay $60,000 per vehicle to add all the necessary technology.
For consumers, the cost of taking Uber Elevate will go down over time.
"Our analysis shows that in the long-term autonomous case, direct costs per vehicle mile will approach 50 cents per mile (equivalent to 35 cents per ground mile). We can expect that the price 100 for a 45-mile pool VTOL, which would replace a 60-mile automobile trip, could approach as low as $21 for the 15 minute journey."
What's next: Uber is going to be leveraging a lot of the relationships they have with local and city regulators as well as manufacturers and other community groups to discuss what needs to be done. They'll also be hosting a summit on Elevate in early 2017.
"In the coming weeks and months, we plan to delve into the political, policy, infrastructural, and socio-economic issues that will need to be addressed. These will be important to sustainably and inclusively develop vehicles that meet sophisticated consumer demand and are able to operate safely, quietly and reliably in cities."
But Uber — and willing partners — also have to work closely with the FAA to determine how to regulate these low-flying, short-haul aircraft. Here's what that process will look like:
" First the regulatory authority and the manufacturer have to agree on the certification basis. Then the regulator and the manufacturer must agree how to determine the compliance of the vehicle with the certification basis. Next, the manufacturer demonstrates the compliance of the vehicle to the standards accepted by the regulator to obtain type certification; this is an iterative process. Following type certification, manufacturing can begin while the manufacturer seeks a production certificate to demonstrate the capability of producing many copies of that aircraft to the same standards."
This is developing...
Police have seized the Volkswagon Golf the tyre flew off and say the driver could be charged with manslaughter if an investigation points to negligence.
Jorge Ademir, who filmed the sickening incident including the aftermath of the collision when he raced to the victim's aid, said: "He didn't have time to react to react. It all happened so fast.
"He was already on the ground when I realised he had been hit by something.
"I didn't fully understand what had really happened until I looked at the images."
Paramedics tried to save the biker but he died within an hour of being hit.The 42-year-old victim has not been named.
Mr Ademir said: "Motorists were arguing with members of the emergency services because they were trying to get through the area where the air ambulance was going to land.
"It was a surreal situation seeing them having to deal with that while they were trying to save the biker."
In 2040, the roads will be occupied by self-driving cars. People will be shot through a series of tubes at 700 mph from city to city and, if Silicon Valley has its way, people will be hailing "flying cars" to avoid rush-hour traffic.
That's the dream Uber's Chief Product Officer Jeff Holden laid out in a 99-page white paper today: A future where Uber riders can hail a Jetsons-like vertical takeoff and landing aircraft from their phones (or whatever device we may be using at that point).
What is a VTOL aircraft? It's a plane that uses propulsion to become airborne and land vertically (like a rocket).
Is Uber building them? No.
So what is this paper about? The ride-hail giant lays out what needs to be done for companies that want to build these VTOL planes.
Why? A couple of reasons: 1) So they can commercialize these planes for money; 2) So they can provide an alternative to car ownership that would ostensibly take cars off the road and funnel more users to their core business of car-hailing.
The company has been seriously researching the technology for quite some time, and it could be in use within a decade, Holden told Kara Swisher at the Nantucket Conference in September. The paper, which is very detailed, lays out the benefits of VTOL travel (less congestion, fewer emissions, may eventually be cheaper) and the many, many regulatory and logistical hurdles any company attempting to build and commercialize these aircrafts will come across.
It's Uber's — and by extension CEO Travis Kalanick's — attempt at catalyzing companies with the ambition to create "air taxis" to start building. In exchange, Uber plans to deliver a clear market and demand for the vehicles when they've figured it out. It's a paper in some ways akin to Elon Musk's Hyperloop blueprint that spurred the creation of two private companies, Hyperloop One and Hyperloop Technologies, that are both working vigorously to make the idea a reality.
Except — yes, there is an exception — there are a number of companies already working on flying cars, as Holden admitted. In other words, this is not exactly revolutionary in the same way Hyperloop was. Airbus' Silicon Valley subsidiary A³ recently unveiled its VTOL concept called Vahana and said it plans to have a working prototype by the end of 2017. Alphabet's Larry Page has a "flying car" company called Zee.Aero that as of June had 150 employees.
So while Holden's paper may not be creating an entirely new market for an unforeseen mode of transportation, it does have the potential to mobilize companies that have not yet begun their foray into flying cars but have the resources, engineering skills and ambitions to do it.
Uber is basically saying: If you build it, we will come (and we will help you commercialize your flying car).
But Holden, a former Groupon and Amazon executive, doesn't leave these companies hanging. The paper dives deeply into everything from barriers to market, certification, regulatory hurdles, pilot training and noise issues (since the aircraft will be flying so low).
It's not exactly scientific. Instead, the paper reads as a plea or a pitch to the chief business officers of Silicon Valley and beyond.
Here are some of the top points:
Who's driving it: Pilots will initially fly the aircraft, but like all things that are born in Silicon Valley, eventually it will be automated. A huge barrier to getting people to agree to take Uber Elevate — the name of the service — over taking Uber X or UberPool is convincing them that it's safe. In order to ensure these flying vehicles are safe, Holden argues, they will have to take the human error aspect out of the equation. So while they'll be training pilots initially, the idea is the "flying taxis" will eventually be semi- and then fully automated.
"Over time it's highly likely that VTOLs will become autonomous, though we expect that initial operations will require pilots. Utilizing pilots in the initial period permits a strategy of building up statistical proof for FAA certification while slowly increasing the level of automation."
Autonomous technology in the air isn't exactly new, either. Autopilot technology has been used for decades particularly because there are so few obstacles to navigate around in the air. But as it is for planes, weather will be a bigger factor than it is for cars.
"Compared to ground vehicles, the environment in which VTOL aircraft operate is far more open and uncluttered, except during takeoff and landing when operating in close proximity to the ground, buildings, and people."
How much will it cost: Here are some of the numbers: At a low production rate of 12 units per year, it will cost $1.2 million a unit. For around 500 units a year, it will cost $600,000 and at 5,000 units a year it will cost $200,000 a pop. But aircraft production levels haven't been that high since 1946.
"This post-WWII high production was a result of industry attempting to repurpose to civil markets, with a large number of pilots suddenly having been introduced to the market place. In the years after 1946 there was a sudden reduction in annual production and manufacturing rates have never again risen to 1946 levels."
However, these VTOL aircraft will have a longer lifespan than ground vehicles, which are typically manufactured to travel 250,000 miles.
We assume a design life of 25-27k hours for the VTOL to permit 13 years of service with the 2080 hour/year utilization. This enables the vehicle to provide 400,000 miles of service each year and about 5 million miles of service life before the aircraft is salvaged at a residual value of 30%.
As for the operating costs, Holden assumes it will be $50,000 a year for a piloted VTOL and, when they become automated, companies will have to pay $60,000 per vehicle to add all the necessary technology.
For consumers, the cost of taking Uber Elevate will go down over time.
"Our analysis shows that in the long-term autonomous case, direct costs per vehicle mile will approach 50 cents per mile (equivalent to 35 cents per ground mile). We can expect that the price 100 for a 45-mile pool VTOL, which would replace a 60-mile automobile trip, could approach as low as $21 for the 15 minute journey."
What's next: Uber is going to be leveraging a lot of the relationships they have with local and city regulators as well as manufacturers and other community groups to discuss what needs to be done. They'll also be hosting a summit on Elevate in early 2017.
"In the coming weeks and months, we plan to delve into the political, policy, infrastructural, and socio-economic issues that will need to be addressed. These will be important to sustainably and inclusively develop vehicles that meet sophisticated consumer demand and are able to operate safely, quietly and reliably in cities."
But Uber — and willing partners — also have to work closely with the FAA to determine how to regulate these low-flying, short-haul aircraft. Here's what that process will look like:
" First the regulatory authority and the manufacturer have to agree on the certification basis. Then the regulator and the manufacturer must agree how to determine the compliance of the vehicle with the certification basis. Next, the manufacturer demonstrates the compliance of the vehicle to the standards accepted by the regulator to obtain type certification; this is an iterative process. Following type certification, manufacturing can begin while the manufacturer seeks a production certificate to demonstrate the capability of producing many copies of that aircraft to the same standards."
This is developing...
Step one in reclaiming millions of hours of 'lost productivity'. Photograph: Collection/Rex Shutterstock
Uber's eyes are on a new prize: flying cars.
Outlined in a white paper published this week, the company's chief product officer, Jeff Holden, describes a network of small, electric aircraft that can take-off and land vertically (VTOL, or vertical take-off and landing, aircraft) to enable speedy and reliable commuting that it claims will ease congestion in cities.
Uber doesn't plan to build any of these "flying cars", but has produced a plan called Elevate to set out what needs to be done for the dozens of companies that are building them, including Terrafugia, AeroMobil, Moller International and Pal-V.
It's a little like how Elon Musk bequeathed to the world his idea for the Hyperloop transport system, which two independent companies are battling to implement.
"On-demand aviation has the potential to radically improve urban mobility, giving people back time lost in their daily commutes," says the paper, which points out that an average San Francisco resident spends 230 hours commuting between work and home each year. "That's half a million hours of productivity lost every single day."
In cities such as Los Angeles and Sydney the problem is even more acute, with residents spending seven weeks each year commuting – two of which are in gridlock – while in Mumbai the average commute takes 90 minutes.
"For all of us, that's less time with family, less time at work growing our economies, more money spent on fuel – and a marked increase in our stress levels," says Uber's report.
Uber argues that it will be cheaper to build infrastructure for a network of flying cars than it would be to build roads, railways and bridges, as mini airports – called vertiports – could be built on top of buildings. Moreover, the aircraft wouldn't have to follow fixed routes, which should eliminate bottlenecks caused on the ground by single accidents or roadworks.
It's not entirely altruistic. Once enough of these vehicles exist, Uber could then use its network to connect those vehicles with paying passengers and use software to plan the optimal route from A to B – for a fee.
Not everyone is convinced by Uber's grand plan.
"The paper is good, it goes over all the details, but they have underestimated the certification process and air traffic control," said Colin Snow, CEO of Skylogic Research, which specializes in unmanned aerial systems.
He points out that aeronautical engineer Molton Taylor had the same vision in the 1940s, proposing something called the Aerocar. "This is the Silicon Valley version of that," he said.
Molton Taylor had the same idea in 1949"Aviation is highly regulated and gets more complex as time goes on. The assumption that technology will somehow fix the problem is hubris," he said, pointing out that it took 10 years of negotiations with the Federal Aviation Authority to create regulation for small drones.
Snow isn't the only one to detect the hubris. Bhaskar Chakravorti, an economics scholar from Tufts University, added: "We see this hubris over and over again, like when Uber went to China – and look what happened. It's all about how big and mighty they are and what their strategic intent is, but ultimately they are feeding their egos."
Uber's posturing could help build excitement and momentum for the brand to encourage more people to use the company's "vanilla car-sharing".
"Look at Google. It goes into all kinds of experiments that don't make any money largely because there's a brand halo that keeps people attached to Google's search engine and Gmail for the ad revenue," said Chakravorti.
However, in the past few years there has been a renewed interest in personal aviation from those who made their millions from social networks and search engines. Google's Larry Page, for example, has invested in two flying car startups, Zee Aero and Kitty Hawk.
In some ways, the flying car is a metaphor for a future where all our needs are taken care of by technology.
"We grew up watching the Jetsons so flying cars are part of a vision of the future where our lives are made so much easier through a combination of seamless transportation and automation," said Chakravorti.
That utopian vision has been combined with a very personal pain point for entrepreneurs like Uber CEO Travis Kalanick: no matter how successful you are, you still have to spend time sitting in traffic.
The result? A lot of clever people and money are gravitating towards solutions to that problem, whether through developing cars that drive themselves or take to the air.
"It comes from trying to solve a personal problem and then externalizing it," Chakravorti said. "This obsession with flying cars takes the intellectual and financial capital away from the real problems that need to be solved."
Thanks to the ambitious work of Blade Runner and Back to the Future, we all have hopelessly high expectations of what flying cars should look like.
Unfortunately, while the industry focuses on autonomous tech and electrically powered vehicles, the dream of flying around in limited airspace has been ushered into the background.
With that said, Google co-founder Larry Page is still trying to lead the revolution, owning two (yes, two) flying car companies and keeping the dream alive with his mountains of cash.
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And now, it appears as if one of the prototypes has been spotted in the open.
OK, so the image from nearby worker Steve Eggleston doesn't show the contraption in the air, but the flying machine from startup Zee.Aero was reportedly heard whirring and hovering about Hollister Airport in California.
The eyewitnesses also claimed that the machine was able to vertically take off and land, though very little further info is actually known about the features of the futuristic vehicle.
A past Zee.Aero patent has shown an aircraft-like car parked in a typical lot, with descriptions also hinting that it would use battery power to generate lift from eight propellers, but the rest is pretty much up to your imagination.
So a faint glimmer of hope is out there, even if we're seemingly still a long way away from this becoming a mainstream alternative to the morning Tube or drive.
Oh, and if you just happen to have a knack for aircraft design, electrical power systems, active control, machine learning, aero-acoustics, composite structures, or systems integration, Zee is pretty interested in your services.
HOLLISTER, CA (KSBW/NBC) - Is The Jetsons flying car finally here?
A Silicon Valley company, Zee Aero, has been testing a prototype at Hollister Municipal Airport to "develop a revolutionary new form of transportation."
This summer, Zee Aero signed a 34-year lease for one acre of land between two landing strips in Hollister.
The project the company is working on is under wraps, but a 2013 patent application for a "personal aircraft" filed by CEO Ilan Kroo, sheds some light on its mission to create "better ways to get from A to B."
The document describes a "safe, quiet, easy to control, efficient and compact aircraft" capable of vertical and horizontal flight.
Employees of other businesses at the airport have witnessed the "flying car" prototype hovering about.
"It has what looks like four small little motors," said Michael Smith of Hollister Soaring Center.
"I don't know if the wings are designed to fold, so I don't think it's a car but I don't know that for sure," Smith said.
Read more: http://bit.ly/2dFiRjB
Copyright 2016 KSBW via NBC. All rights reserved.
What's This?
Alphabet CEO and Google co-founder Larry Page speaks at the Fortune Global Forum in San Francisco. Image: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
Did someone just spot Google co-founder Larry Page's flying car?
A photo of a mysterious-looking vehicle at the airport in Hollister, California, has been the subject plenty of speculation lately.
Page's start-up Zee.Aero has a hangar at the airport, where it's apparently developing and testing what it calls "a revolutionary new form of transportation."
The San Jose Mercury News got its hands on the image, taken by an employee who works at the Hollister Airport.
The man who snapped the photo of the vehicle, Steve Eggleston, said, "It sounded like an electric motor running, just a high-pitched whine."
Another witness claimed the vehicle was "just hovering."
Jalopnik notes that the vehicle snapped in the photo looks a lot like a vehicle detailed in patent documents that the secretive Zee.Aero previously filed in 2011.
Mashable has reached out to both the employee who took the original photo and Zee.Aero for further comment.
That, apparently, was a flying car, or perhaps a prototype of another sort of aircraft under development by a mysterious startup called Zee.Aero...one of two reportedly funded by Google co-founder Larry Page to develop revolutionary forms of transportation... A Zee.Aero spokeswoman said the firm is "c urrently not discussing (its) plans publicly." However, a Zee.Aero patent issued in 2013 describes in some detail an aircraft capable of the hovering seen by people working at the airport. And the drawings showcase a vision of the future in which flying cars park in lots just like their terrestrial, less-evolved cousins.
Page has invested $100 million in Zee.Aero, which appears to have hired more than 100 aerospace engineers. But the article reports that apparently, in the small town where it's headquartered, "the first rule about Zee.Aero is you don't talk about Zee.Aero."This is one of the first photos of what is believed to be a "flying car" funded by Google co-founder Larry Page. The mysterious aircraft was spotted at the Hollister Airport, where Page's startup Zee.Aero has a hangar. Witnesses said they saw the aircraft hovering on two occasions before it returned to earth and was towed back to Zee.Aero's facility. The aircraft has been described as a flying car because it can take off and land vertically, and Zee.Aero's patent shows an aircraft parked like a car in a typical lot. This photograph was taken by Steve Eggleston, who works at DK Turbines next to the airport tarmac.
It's not merely the roads in and around Silicon Valley where advanced transportation systems are being developed and vetted. The sky above the Bay Area is a prime proving ground for the latest aviation technology.
The newest aircraft to join that field may soon be the Vahana, a yet-to-be-built aircraft from A³, the regional office of Airbus Group in San Jose, California. Engineers are working on a personal-transportation craft capable of vertical takeoffs and landings, making runways and roads obsolete. Also unneeded: pilots. If Airbus succeeds, the Vahana would use autonomous and unmanned technology to deliver people or packages to their destinations, potentially making the eight-rotor craft the first certified passenger aircraft without a pilot.
Without referencing a certain Hanna-Barbera cartoon that made the idea of a flying vehicle for everyday commuting a novel future proposition, that appears to be the precise use case for the Airbus venture.
"We seek to help enable truly vertical cities by opening up urban airways in a predictable and controlled manner," wrote Rodin Lyasoff, the project's chief executive officer. "We believe that full automation will allow us to achieve higher safety by minimizing human error. Our aircraft will follow predetermined flight paths, with only minor deviations if obstacle avoidance is needed."
Early renderings of the craft were released last month; Lyasoff says the company has completed the vehicle design and intends to build a full-size prototype by the end of 2017, with a demonstrator to follow in 2020. Airbus established its Silicon Valley venture in May 2015.
The aircraft contains forward and rear wings each outfitted with four rotors that tilt into horizontal or vertical configurations for specific phases of flight. Vahana has not yet revealed which companies it is working with to build the prototype but says it will "share a deep dive on our system design and analysis" in a forthcoming update.
Sketches and design underpinnings of the aircraft appear to be based on the HyperCommuter concept that gained traction with NASA engineers two years ago.
The same technologies driving rapid changes in the auto industry—lightweight materials, more energy-dense battery options, autonomous technology, and obstacle detection—make the Vahana more affordable and potentially more plausible. But if there's a theoretical downside to this futuristic concept, it's that it continues the pattern of single-occupant commuting that clogs U.S. roads today. More than three-quarters of Americans drive to work alone in cars, so the skies of tomorrow could become as crowded as the highways of today.
Engineers test the prototype of a flying car in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture. (Provided by Cart!vator)
TOYOTA, Aichi Prefecture--A car that takes to the air to light the Olympic cauldron might sound like a fantasy, but young engineers are working here to make it a reality at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
The automotive and aviation engineers are aiming to run their vehicle on the track of the new National Stadium and fly it to the Olympic cauldron to light the flame at the opening ceremony.
To develop a car that can be both driven and flown, a group of 20 engineers ranging in age from 26 to 35, which calls itself Cart!vator, is conducting experiments at a disused school deep in the mountains.
The group was established in 2012 by Tsubasa Nakamura, 32, an automobile expert, to "provide a dream for the next generation."
Its goal is to improve the vehicle so that it can travel freely to avoid traffic jams or airlift injured people during times of natural disaster even when roads cannot be used.
"If technological innovation is achieved in the battery performance and other fields, the vehicle could be commercialized in the future," said Masafumi Miwa, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Tokushima University's graduate school, who is working with the group.
Under the current plan, the flying car will measure 2.9 meters long and 1.3 meters wide. It will be based on a single-seater electric tricycle, with two propellers--one at the lower part and the other at the upper section--at each of the four corners.
The vehicle can take off and land vertically. It will be operated with the steering wheel and accelerator pedal either in the air or on the road.
The Cart!vator group is looking to upgrade the vehicle so that it will ultimately be able to fly 50 kilometers at an altitude of 150 meters.
Members exchange information through video calling on weekdays and engage in development together at the former school premises on weekends.
They created a smaller prototype of the flying car in 2014. Last year, the group purchased a full-scale prototype made by a joint researcher, using 2.6 million yen ($25,300) raised online.
Nakamura and his colleagues are now working to improve the body of the prototype and the computer program to control the rotation rate of the propellers.
"The larger the body becomes, the more difficult it becomes to elevate it in the air in a stable manner," said Nakamura.
So far, the current model can fly at an altitude of only 1 meter for up to just five seconds.
The group said it plans to reduce the vehicle's weight from the current 180 kilograms to about 100 kg by replacing the aluminum frame with one made of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic.
The biggest challenge is how to raise the necessary funds. The group estimates an additional 30 million yen is needed for a manned flight and is calling on companies and investors to provide funding and parts.
You study it right! This desire has not been dead in a lot of thoughts for a lot of decades below we're to inform you that it's, obviously, been permitted and that using the development being produced in engineering, it had been merely an issue of period before it materialized! The AeroMobil certainly will merely park right into a regular parking room when its wings are collapsed, is effective at traveling 430 kilometers on the complete gas container and made by a company.
The vehicle AeroMobil that was traveling hasbeen created in ways that it may take advantage of the present structure that will be in position for airplanes and cars. The company stated that doorways open to doorway that was actual -to- travel. In vehicle style, this perfectly engineered (or must we are saying incredibly manufactured?) factor may comfortable in to the regular parking location and grows about the regular gas offered at traditional service channels.
The craft's most recent edition is actually this vehicle's 3rd era. Tatiana Veber, AeroMobil spokesperson, exposed, We've been creating a traveling vehicle since 1990's idea. Your first design appeared very weird also it might have undergone issues within the normal use. Which was a signal-to enhance the idea of the traveling vehicle in ways to become an intrinsic area of the street traffic that is normal. We got a good feedback from many specialists in avionics, who valued the specialized answer of the procedure of change and also style. The vehicle is built to become motivated at normal gasoline stations utilizing the gas for 912 motor.
AeroMobil is ready for showcasing the 3road model towards the globe at Leaders Event in Sweden on 29th Oct. Whilst the wings are positioned behind the driver in vehicle style the look, nevertheless, nevertheless must be modified. In the movie launched from the organization, we all know that AeroMobil 3 is excessively, and fashionable, cozy for both traveler and the driver includes the sports vehicle with characteristics of an ultralight's efficiency.
We may be a long way off from making flying cars a reality, but we do have self-driving ones just around the corner. Now, before you brush off autonomous driving capabilities as the inferior version of this sci-fi vision of the future of transportation, consider this—self-driving vehicles don't have to be configured the way cars, as we know them now, are.
Basic vehicular components such as steering columns will no longer be necessary. This gives car makers more opportunity to use interior space for comfort versus functionality.
This is the what Rinspeed Oasis' concept car is anchored on. The design they're proposing serves to mimic the vibe of a modern-day family room. The car can include features such as a TV, a windshield that can provide full multimedia immersion, and augmented reality displays.
…And Grows RadishesBecause Rinspeed's plan is still in the concept stage, the feasibility of such a vehicle comes into question. But the fact that it's being unveiled at the upcoming CES slated for January 2017 makes the possibility of having your living room on wheels more realistic.
And this isn't just about making a comfortable family vehicle – the Oasis appeals to other customers as well. According to Rinspeed's website:
"Oasis can be commuting or shopping car in the morning, act as a 'micro delivery vehicle' for urban parcel services in the afternoon, and be a pizza taxi on the evening drive home. This is made possible by a clever code-protected 'drawer' in the rear, which can also be cooled or heated as needed."
Want Oasis to deliver you something healthier than pizza? Don't worry. The company has integrated a small green space for growing flowers or radishes below the windscreen. Seriously.
The developments made in autonomous driving technology have been consistent throughout the past few years. With car makers close to perfecting the technology behind this advancement, it's only a matter of time before they begin focusing on developing engaging interiors for vehicles where driving is no longer the primary focus.
No Mercy 7 at South Georgia Motorsports proves again that it definitely is "The Home of the FLYING CAR" as Frank Soldridge tries to lift off in his Chevy Big Block Twin Turbo powered Ford Mustang! Wheelies at the starting line are cool, but POWER WHEELIES half way down the track are WAAAAY cooler to see!Soldridge set a new personal best with a 3.93 @ 198 MPH in the radial vs the world class, qualifying in the top half of the crazy drag radial equipped class where cars are flirting with either SPINNING or FLYING in their cars.Disclaimer: No gorillas were hurt making this video, harambe would be proud.
Watching The Jetsons back in the day had us thinking that by the time the year 2000 rolled around flying cars, robotic maids and living in Space Needle like structures would be the norm? Yeah, all we got was a Y2K scare, the Kardashians and the possibility of sex with robots? Um, what? That's the latest debate in the tech world and it's making us wonder...would you get down with a robot if you had the chance? That new show on HBO, Westworld, makes it seem normal enough but when push comes to shove, it's still weird as hell to think about, or is it?
Westworld is a trippy as new addition to HBO's Sunday night lineup about an extravagant robot-laden Western-scape for rich humans. Many of the human men take on those old timey ladies of the night like it's nothing, and that's what has jump started this conversation again. When you think about it, a robot you hop into bed with wouldn't be all that different from a vibrator or any other sex toy. The only difference is that it'd have human features and with insane technological advances, it'd even be able to speak and move like a legit partner.
That brings up another note. It'd be like a real partner, but there'd be no intimacy because it's not a real thing. Sex is a mechanical thing. It's all physical, but at the end of the day we want that intimate connection with a partner. At least most of us do and a robot in our lifetime may never be able to provide that. No matter how great the robot was in bed, they'd never be a real viable partner. Of course you'd have those people who'd become attached no matter what. Hello, have you not seen those shows on TLC about people in love with their cars, ferris wheels and other inanimate objects?
Let's get back to the question at hand, would you have sex with a robot? When you argue that it's no different than a vibrator than I can see why saying yes would be an okay response. Also, if the robot happened to be as anatomically correct as the "bots" on Westworld, and I was single living in the year 3045 (or whenever this was happening), then yes. I would definitely try it out. There seems to be nothing that wrong with the idea but for right now, I'm happy with my sex toys not having faces and conversations.
The test ramp for the San Diego Air & Space Museum's "flying car" competition. The San Diego Air & Space Museum is calling on aspiring aeronautical engineers throughout Southern California to submit plans for a "flying car" by year end.
The Fly Your Ride competition, co-sponsored by San Diego Gas & Electric and the Best Buy Foundation, is for students who want to build a vehicle no larger than a shoebox, launch it down a ramp, and see if it can jump a gap.
It's open to students in 6th through 12th grade living in Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties.
Blueprints are due for evaluation on Jan. 31 and the competition day is April 22.
The rules are complex, but the completed car must fit in a space of 16 by 8 by 5 inches, including protruding wings, propellers, balloons and parachutes.
More information is available on the contest web page.
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Flying cars are just TWO years away: Terrafugia claims its TF-X will be ready to take to the skies by 2018. Traffic can be a real grind. For those travelling between work and home by car every day, the seemingly endless cycle of gas-brake-repeat at a snail's pace can wear thin.
But commuters of the very-near future may be granted some respite by taking to the skies in a flying car.The US company behind the concept vehicle TF-X is hoping a prototype will be ready to fly in just two years – and it will go on general sale within eight.
Range: 500 miles (800 km)
Cruise Speed: 200 mph (320 km/h)
Engine Fuel: Unleaded automotive gasoline
Electric Motor Pods: 1 MW of power
Dimensions: The TF-X™ will fit in a single car garage or standard parking space.
Takeoff and Landing: The TF-X™ will be able to take off and land vertically from a level clearing of at least 100 feet (30 meters) in diameter.
Certification: Flying the TF-X™ will require substantially less training time than a traditional pilot's license or sport pilot certificate. Driving the TF-X™ will require a standard US driver's license.
PHOTO: PAL-V One Prototype (PRNewsFoto/PAL-V North America)
Just as we begin to get used to the idea of letting our cars do the driving we find out we are going to have to learn to take over for the flying.
PAL-V, the purveyors of flying car technology, are about to bring an end to initial pre-sale for its innovation.
And seeing as how a multitude of clients are about to get their mitts on some truly astounding contraptions, officials decided it would be prudent to have a flying school open in Utah, which is what happened on Monday.
For the uninitiated, the following video is a wonderful example of what the company has already been able to accomplish.
Robert Dingemanse, CEO of PAL-V, via press release, expounded on the accomplishments thus far and the importance of collaboration as PAL-V welcomed flying car students: "We are very excited to make this announcement today and even more enthused that we are going to be working with Gyroplane training guru, Phil Harwood and the IAPGT (International Association of Professional Gyroplane Training) to do whatever we can to help create standardized flight training programs around the world to ensure our clients are both safe and proficient at flying their PAL-V."
READ MORE: Introducing TravelPulse Radio, the New Voice of the Informed Traveler
Flying school, which never stops sounding amazingly cool, kicked off in Roosevelt and was a way for officials to illustrate the legitimacy of the technology as well as, most importantly, its safety measures.
To that end, VP of sales, Mark Jennings-Bates, chimed in: "The most important thing for PAL-V is to ensure the safety of its clients is at the forefront of every decision we make. For that reason, we are in the process of selecting our home base for North American clients flight training requirements. We are currently in discussions with two first class facilities to enable us to hone in on the best quality opportunity. The fact that clients get to learn to fly their flying car in a mountain setting is simply added value and will also serve to demonstrate how stable the PAL-V flying car platform is in mountain winds."
The flying school opening was available to various media as well as clients. As the release notes, the initial pre-sale phase for PAL-V flying cars should come to a close as early as the end of this year.
As for when orders might be filled, the report states that might take place in 2018.
And that is when we can finally pat ourselves on the back for a job well done and then look toward a feasible hoverboard solution.
No one WANTS to see these kinds of wrecks, but when they unfortunately do happen…getting that "one" angle makes a difference. While Stevie Fast was fortunate enough to walk away from this, it doesn't make these situations any easier as he has a very strong relationship with the "Shadow". Our hearts were all RACING from each angle hoping for him to crawl out from the burning wreck and thankfully he popped out escaping the fire! Even with the loss of his gorgeous, praised fox body, he still managed to walk around with a positive outlook and plans to be back in action by early spring!
Original YouTube Description
The Harrier Jump Jet operated by the U.S. Marines is an example of a VOTL aircraft. Unlike helicopters, however, VTOLs have multiple rotors and fixed wings.
Like fully autonomous cars, allowing ride-hailing aircraft to fly within cities would likely require new legislation. He said that creating and executing three-dimensional plans is vital and the company would obviously look at all the possibilities.
Holden was at a conference in Nantucket and told Recode in n onstage interview the ride-sharing company was seriously looking at using VTOl for short-haul flying taxis in cities. Just imagine the common hobby drone today but bigger and able to carry a full grown human. But Holden predicted that the technology could be ready for takeoff within the next decade and said it was another method Uber could use to accomplish its goal of eliminating private car ownership.
The revolutionary cab company pulled ahead of its rivals in the car industry and Silicon Valley with its ambitious experiment - a fleet of cars laden with lasers, cameras and other sensors - but no human hands on the wheel. As noted in Aviation Week last month: "The single-passenger vehicle is being developed by A3, Airbus's Silicon Valley outpost, under Project Vahana, launched in February".
Of course, there are a multitude of regulatory and safety issues to overcome - simple drones are freaking people out, so imagine this thing landing in your neighborhood on a regular basis.
Uber has never lacked for ambition, at least in the driverless future it envisions. Systems would have to be put in place as to keep aircraft from crossing paths, and with how tight airport security is in the U.S., what kind of guidelines-if any-would be placed upon boarding smaller aircraft in congested areas to eliminate threat?
Driverless cars have been a dream for decades, and we're finally beginning to see the dividends of intensive research.
Indeed, the new technology holds tremendous possibilities. It may not be as bold as the flying cars depicted on "The Jetsons," but the changes could lead to safer roads and a healthier environment.
Federal auto safety regulators recently made clear their approval of automated vehicles. Jeffrey Zients, director of the National Economic Council, said highly automated vehicles "will save time, money and lives."
President Obama echoed that statement in an op-ed piece in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Right now, too many people died on our roads – 35,200 last year alone – with 94 percent of those the result of human error or choice."
Obama has proposed spending $4 billion over 10 years to advance the technology.
Some advocates, such as the co-founder and CEO of the ride service Lyft, refer to driverless or autonomous cars as freedom. It might certainly feel that way to elderly and disabled citizens. And it might make that long, unbearable commute, while it is not exactly a problem around here, a little more tolerable.
Driverless cars have already started hitting the road, at least in limited trials. Semiautonomous cars are already being sold to average consumers, although some technologies call for above-average incomes for now.
Semiautonomous features include self-parking, automatic braking in an emergency and automatic lane changing. The driver is still in control and needs to remain alert. Driverless cars, on the other hand, leave the car to the computer. Because the computer will not get aggressive, drunk or distracted, crashes should go down.
As with new technologies, the price will come down and more people will take advantage of it.
The federal government is trying to catch up by issuing new guidelines, just short of official regulations. The guidelines include a 15-point safety standard for the design and development of autonomous vehicles, a call for states to devise uniform policies applying to driverless cars and clarification on the manner in which current regulations can be applied to driverless cars.
It also left the door ajar for new regulations. And that's good. America needs uniform and adequately strong regulation as technology speeds ahead. Safely, we hope.
Safety is the ultimate goal, which means that deaths involving early adopters will make headlines. Back in May, a Florida driver was killed while in a Tesla equipped with a self-driving feature known as Autopilot. Autopilot uses radar and cameras to help a computer steer the car. Last month there was a report of another Tesla crash in China where the technology was apparently turned on and the car ran into the back of a truck. The Tesla driver also was killed.
Tesla is updating its Autopilot software so it gives more weight to radar rather than cameras. Elon Musk, the company's chief executive who has launched a bid to buy SolarCity, says that change should make crashes less likely.
Tesla does not have this new lane to itself. Uber started testing driverless cars for customers in Pittsburgh. Lyft unveiled its "The Road Ahead" 10-year plan on the website Medium. It envisions autonomous driving, plus a subscription-based model on the scale of Netflix. Ford is betting on fully autonomous vehicles by 2021, ideal for the company's ride-sharing plans. General Motors and Mercedes-Benz are in the game. Google is testing self-driving cars and rumors abound about Apple.
The technology will be here soon. Government regulators need to be prepared with oversight that will both protect the public and facilitate advances in the technology.
VR futuristic flying car ultimate drive is a much addictive car racing and shooting like Heli shooting in air. Futuristic flying and shooting car in real modern city environment first time on google play market. Flying car extreme flight pilot shooting simulator 3d is a driving, flying and shoot the enemies car to complete different missions. Insert your mobile into google cardboard then enjoy the extreme drive. Drive extreme muscle car like a fly a jet aircraft. This best free car racing and shooting games is a top view racing game where you can race with ultimate cars. Experience the best crazy flying pilot in virtual world where you will enjoy to shoot the other cars while flying. VR futuristic flying car extreme pilot drive is made for all fans of free car driving games, Simulation games and Airplane Flight games also Air shooting game. Do stunts and real drifts in virtual world. Enjoy this action game with thrilling flying ride.
License Free Version 1.0 Operating System AndroidEveryone's favorite fine, four-fendered friend, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Junior lands at MusicWorks! Studio of Performing Arts on Oct. 7-8. Based on the 1968 hit MGM motion picture and featuring original music from the film, this junior version is a pilot premiere created by iTheatrics and Music Theater International (MTI), who work to transform Broadway favorites to a scale and running time suitable for family theater and young performers. Lynne Meyer, director of the production and the owner of MusicWorks, was contacted by executives at MTI in the spring and asked to consider taking on the task of piloting their recent junior work. "It's been such an honor to be one of the first directors in the country to work with this new junior musical," said Meyer. "I loved the movie as a child and I felt like it was a show that would challenge my students, so there really wasn't even a moment's hesitation before I agreed to premiere the work!"
The MusicWorks production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Junior features a cast of 48 talented singers, dancers, and actors between the ages of 8-17. In addition to the cast of performers, parents and volunteers have also gotten involved in the production with creating some of the costumes, sets, and numerous props, including "Chitty" herself which is certainly no small task! The artistic production company includes Lynne Meyer (director/choreographer/music director), Adriane Howard (costume and production assistant), Jerri Harris (associate musical director), Tim Stiles (pianist), Shelia Sumpter (assistant choreographer), Jeff Gosnell (car designer/builder), Dedee Haas (set designer), and Tessa Rabideau (stage manager).
Originally billed as "the most phantasmagorical musical in the history of everything…" Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Junior features an unforgettable score by the Shermann Brothers (Mary Poppins), and is a family-friendly blockbuster that audiences will find "Truly Scrumptuous".
An eccentric inventor, Caractacus Potts (Nate Hannah), sets about restoring an old race car from a scrap heap with the help of his children, Jeremy (Walker Giusti) and Jemima (Kavia Dills). They soon discover that the car has magical properties, including the ability to float and take flight. Trouble occurs when the evil Baron Bomburst (Javan Delozier) desires the magical car for himself. The family joins forces with Truly Scrumptious (Beth Borst) and batty Grandpa Potts (Eric Meyer) to outwit the dastardly Baron and Baroness (Cameron Robinson) and their villainous henchman, the Child Catcher (Kyrstin McClure).
The show runs Oct. 7-8 with performances on both evenings at 7:00pm and a 3:00pm matinee on Oct. 8th. All performances are being held in the "Out of the Box" Theater at MusicWorks! Studio of Performing Arts, 99 Kingdom Hall Dr., in Clyde. Tickets are $10.00 and can only be purchased online at www.smallvenueticketing.com/23379
The future isn't about flying cars and women with bionic implants posing against glistening landscapes. It is about intelligent cars and buildings that literally eat away at pollution. While the former looks cool, the reality is about developing a robust, sustainable process that supports our fragile ecosystem. I headed to Japan on a tour of Toyota's battery, hybrid-vehicle manufacturing and testing plants to see what all the hubbub is about.
THE REPOSITIONING
Since The Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, Toyota has positioned environmental friendliness and sustainable development as top business priorities - reduce carbon emissions and develop a better recycling based society. The most effective way is reducing consumption of fossil fuels.
THE GREEN CAR TIMELINE
Hybrid development started as early as 1968 but later stopped during the 80's. Restarted in 1992 with the world's first EV with nickel-metal hydride battery based on the then new first generation RAV4 launched in '96. The FCEV-1 fuel cell vehicle was developed at the same time. In 1997 they launched the Prius. Hate it or love it, this is the car that has taken the environmental friendly car forward by leaps and bounds. Since the launch of the first Prius till 2016, about 9 million hybrid vehicles have been sold. In 2014 the hydrogen fuel cell powered Mirai was launched commercially, with the fourth generation Prius coming out a year later.
HAVE THESE CARS DONE ANY GOOD?
Those 9 million hybrids amount to a reduction of CO2 emissions by 67 million tons. Equivalent to the amount needed to make 1.3 million roundtrips that are each the distance from the Earth to the Moon and back. This is
comparable to the equivalent weight of 24 million units of the big fat Land Cruiser. Rap videos moving to use EVs instead of SUVs will probably contribute to further fuel and emissions reductions.
HYBRID EVERYTHING
With this in mind Toyota has hybrids in just about every vehicle category to meet just about every customers needs. It starts with the tiny little Aqua hatchback in the sub compact class followed by the Yaris, Corolla, Axio and a host of other cars. The larger Camry, Avalon, Crowns and bunch of swoopy, sleek Lexus models are also available as Hybrids. And then come the Harrier, Highlander, more Lexus SUVs, Voxy, Noah, Alphard as well as commercial trucks all pitching in to save this planet full of cuddly cute baby seals.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
These are more popular in Japan (4.38 million sold since '97) and USA (3 million since 2000) because of the more frequent stop/start traffic conditions. This is something of a concern for our Bangladesh where roads are limited and cars are numerous. Developing countries are promoting the use of more hybrid vehicles by providing tax incentives and subsidies. Japan offered 50-70% deduction in automobile tax and automobile acquisition tax. In France a premium (bonus) is paid to the purchasers of vehicles that emit less than 130g CO2/km. On the other hand, a sales tax (penalty) is levied on cars that emit more than
160g CO2/km. Most developed countries are providing such added incentive to build, sell and own modern energy efficient cars. The Bangladeshi government could take a stance on providing better incentives to new car owners to get smaller, more efficient hybrids instead of used reconditioned cars.
WHAT ABOUT DRIVING AWARENESS?
Toyota's environmental consciousness goes all the way through how they run their factories and dealerships as well. It involves using renewable energy - Morio Owaki spoke about the Eco Driving Awareness programs aimed at educating and encouraging drivers to practice more efficient driving techniques. Fuel consumption has gone down by an average of 26.3% (according to MLIT survey). It also benefits in reducing traffic.
Through these practices they aim to reduce Japan's CO2 emission levels of the transport sector from 225 Mt in 2013 to 163 Mt in 2030, a reduction of 26 percent.
WHAT NEXT?
Hisashi Nakai, Grand Master both in R&D and Engineering Management Division and Corporate Citizenship Division, couldn't stress enough on how committed Toyota is in protecting the environment. The dapper white haired man with animated eyebrows explained how it isn't just about cars for mobility but an all-encompassing plan to reduce the carbon footprint. Dedication shows up when your plant is covered in a coating that reacts with and neutralises the pollutants in the air.
That kind of sci-fi is also extended to their cars with the new Prius, Lexus, Alphards and Crowns offering features like self-parking and collision prevention braking. The cars are being designed to assist you in making smarter, more informed decisions. And even if you fail to decide, the cars are built with passenger shells strong enough to withstand some of the worst accidents. A crash test demonstration showed how a new Prius suffering a frontal corner hit by another car travelling at 90kmph. It is one thing to hear about it and another to be in that massive facility and experience that loud boom as car parts go flying. We were all given a close up inspection and the passenger area remained intact. Which probably gave us journos the added confidence the next day to push the test cars out on the track. Yes, we drove hybrid vehicles and it's established they are great for the environment. Which begs the questions: are they fun? More on that next week.
UK motorists would feel safer in a flying car than getting behind the wheel of a self-driving vehicle, a new study has found. A poll of 1,591 UK drivers revealed more than half (56%) have such little faith in the groundbreaking technology they would prefer to risk their lives operating an aircraft.
The research, published this week by consumer finance giant Varooma, found motorists aged up to 24 were the most eager to take to the skies, with a whopping 60% saying they favoured flying over being driven by their cars.
Pensioners were also more interested in owning a flying car than autonomous vehicles, with 52% preferring to clock up the air miles than be chauffeured by a machine.
Almost three-quarters (73%) of those questioned said they would not give up driving for driverless cars, while 38% admitted it was 'extremely unlikely' they would buy one if they could afford it. Surprisingly, more people would trust the cars to ferry their children to school (7.5%) than to transport money (5%).
Patrick Martin, senior marketing executive of Varooma, said the results were a wake-up call to the motor industry. "This new research makes for alarming reading for the motor industry," he said.
"Despite significant investment to get autonomous vehicles on the road rapidly developing technological advances, it would seem British drivers remain unconvinced. We all understand the dangers associated with flying a plane so it's surprising to discover we find that a safer option than computer-operated cars."
Driverless cars have been come under fire in recent months following a number of high-profile incidents. US motorist Joshua Brown, 40, died in May when his Model S ploughed into a moving truck at full speed while on autopilot. It is the first known death of its kind.
Earlier this week an autonomous Lexus collided with a van in California after its automated system failed to anticipate a driver allegedly ignoring a red tr affic light. Back in January, Google, which is at the forefront of driverless car development, revealed human drivers had to take the wheel 341 times within 14 months in response to hazards and software failures.
The intervention was needed to avoid a collision just 13 of those times. In 69 cases the driver took control to prevent dangerous driving, and in 272 a human had to take over because of 'software failures'.
Despite the dangers, however, younger drivers were also the most willing to relinquish control of the cars, with 17% saying they would trust a computer to navigate, compared to just 9% of those aged 55-64.
Nearly a quarter (23%) of motorists aged 18-24 also admitted they would play augmented reality game Pokemon Go if they didn't need to focus on driving, while 28% of women in all age groups said they would watch a film during a driverless journey. The most popular activity for men was sleeping, attracting 22% of the vote.
Martin said: "While the future of autonomous transport remains unclear, these results suggest car manufacturers have a great deal of work to do before driverless cars are commonplace on UK roads."
For more information go to the survey: https://www.varooma.com/common /images/driverless-car-survey- data.pdf
Race judge Vasily Elizarov, 54, died as he was being rushed to hospital, while his assistant, Natalia Koreneva, 34, is fighting for her life in intensive care after receiving serious head injuries.
The mother-of-one is in a "grave condition", as relatives begged for blood supplies to help her.
The appalling smash came after two cars tangled on the dirt race track at the weekend Rally Siberia in Omsk, Russia.
Vyacheslav Kholmogorov, 39, spun in the air and smashed into the raised platform for race marshals after his car was rammed by fellow racer Nikolay Kumanek, 38.
The control tower was totally destroyed in a cloud of dust and debris after being hit by the flying car.
The two marshals are seen being thrown by the impact.
"It is reported Kumanek deleted his dashcam footage after the crash"
The Siberian TimesAmazingly Kholmogorov climbed out of the wreckage almost unhurt to demand an ambulance for the stricken pair.
"An investigation is now underway by the police and Investigative Committee to determine if there was criminal negligence," reported The Siberian Times.
"It is understood the focus will be on Kumanek's driving ahead of the smash, rather than Kholmogorov's.
"It is reported Kumanek deleted his dashcam footage after the crash."
Alexey Kostyakov, chairman of the board of judges of the Federation of Automobile Sports of the Trans-Baikal region, said: "This crash, in my opinion, should be qualified as an accident, which often occur at such events associated with a certain risk.
"At this speed after the collision, the car becomes unmanageable, and the driver becomes simply a passenger.
"Obviously that Kholmogorov could not prevent the crash. The fact that the tower was in his way was is an accident."
Related articlesWhile the 21st century isn't quite the flying-car future you might have imagined, there's still a way to get a gorgeous bird's-eye view: an aerial tramway, otherwise known as an aerial cable car or tram. This 17th-century invention has evolved from hauling skiers and tourists to transporting commuters in one city. Around the world, engineers are pushing structural limits with longer routes, taller support towers, decked-out cabins, and more, but the most important feature to any ropeway is the incredible view of land and sea below. Here are 10 tramways that make good on this promise.
