Airbus Plan To Introduce Driverless Flying Car By 2017

Aug 21, 2016 10:10 AM EDT | Mariechris Felipe

Airbus, a known aircraft manufacturer, announces the start of their Vahana Project, an aggressive plan that seeks to develop flying cars that will be called Skybourne. Rodin Lyasoff, the project executive, says that they target 2017 as the year to start with the tests of the first functional prototype of Skyborne.

Just when people are getting used to the concept of self driving vehicles and car manufacturer such as Ford, Volvo and the others are releasing their autonomous cars, Airbus has a different idea in mind and believe that the future is not about autonomous cars but about flying cars. 

That is because the streets are already saturated and it is impossible to grow. According to forecasts by Airbus, by 2030 60% of the total population of the planet will be concentrated in large cities, this means 15% more people that we already have today in cities. So the choice to transport in an efficient way will be via air.

"Techies in Silicon Valley invent hi-tech products every day. However, they still do not have a solution for one of their biggest problems: rush hour. In response, Airbus Group experts are looking skywards to develop flying cars that will relieve urban congestion." Airbus Wrote on their website.

Airbus's proposal may sound far - fetched, but they believe it is very feasible as many of the technologies needed to built a flying car such as batteries, motors and aeronautical details is already available. What they need to concentrate in is the autonomous navigation system which aims to avoid obstacles and react to possible emergencies, a system they believe they can get ready for next year.

The project has been developed by the division of innovation known as Airbus A3, which is located in Silicon Valley.The project Vahan is based on a flying vehicle that will be known as Skyborne , which will be designed to transport people as well as cargos in elevated stations (as heliports) located at strategic points in each city routes. 
Will we finally reach that future where flying cars are being sold to us? We have to wait and see.   

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