A Silicon Valley start-up that desires to beat Larry Page's flying cars to the market has won a patent for a biplane-like vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle.Joby Aviation, which is contending directly with Page-funded companies Zee.Aero and Kitty Hawk, is reportedly working on an aircraft that could take-off in limited-spaced areas without needing a runway.
The patent, noticed by the East Bay Times portrays an aerial vehicle that could be controlled by AI or a human pilot.One paper portrays a craft with two sets of wings with propellers settled to the edge, while another more specifically resembles a standard fixed-wing drone.
The report describes a vehicle that would take-off with its wings in a vertical position and then move into a horizontal flight path.The vehicle's motors would likewise pivot relative to the position of the wings for VTOL and forward flight accordingly.
The term "flying car" isn't used in particular: rather, the patent seems, by all accounts, to be outlining thrust and wing setup that could possibly be used for manned or unmanned UAVs.Still, given that Joby Aviation is developing VTOL aircraft particularly for personal transport, it doesn't take much to draw an obvious conclusion.
It was revealed in June that rival flying car companies Zee, Aero and Kitty Hawk, also situated in Silicon Valley, were personally funded by Larry Page. Google's co-founder is said to have contributed more than $100m (£70m, €89m) in the companies, both of which are thought to be working on personal VTOL vehicles.
Another flying car player, PAL-V, plans to have its own, two-man flying car in consumers' driveways in the next 2-3 years. The PAL-V One can achieve speeds of up to 112mph on both land and air and can fly at an altitude of about 4,000 feet.
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