Suppose an aircraft with two seats, 18 rotors, and a joystick, ready to carry you and a friend anywhere you want to go. That’s the Volocopter, now in development in Germany by e-Volo.
The prototype flew for the first time, remotely piloted, in 2013, and now the team is working toward the first manned flight, sometime in the next few months.
The Volocopter has the potential to bring together many features we expect in a true flying car of the future: It’s simple to fly. It’s stable.It has the ability to take off and land vertically, hover, and fly autonomously in any direction.Its 18 rotors provide a lot of redundancy against system failures. It doesn’t require a runway and it’s powered by batteries, making it emissions-free.
referenceThe prototype flew for the first time, remotely piloted, in 2013, and now the team is working toward the first manned flight, sometime in the next few months.
The Volocopter has the potential to bring together many features we expect in a true flying car of the future: It’s simple to fly. It’s stable.It has the ability to take off and land vertically, hover, and fly autonomously in any direction.Its 18 rotors provide a lot of redundancy against system failures. It doesn’t require a runway and it’s powered by batteries, making it emissions-free.
http://www.wired.com/2015/06/18-rotor-volocopter-like-flying-car-better/
