In early January, as every year, a new edition of “CES Tech Show (Consumer Electronics Show) with a slogan that clearly states its objective: to bring the future of technological innovation to the market, or, in other words, to the consumer. And this year it did not disappoint.
Aeronautics has had a special prominence thanks to the presentation of a Autonomous aerial vehicle (drone) capable of carrying people, the EHang-184. According to the manufacturer's specifications, it can carry a passenger of up to 100kg at a speed of 100km/h for approximately 23 minutes. The charging time for its batteries is around two hours.
According to its manufacturer, the three philosophies upon which the EHang-184 project is based are: a design conceived and oriented towards safety, automation, and the availability of a platform that manages flight.
Precisely, the most interesting thing is that The passenger is not flying the aircraft. who only has to worry about choosing their destination, which they can do on a tablet. The vehicle then autonomously takes care of the flight's development.
The EHang-184 has four propellers with horizontal rotors that are automatically controlled to ensure optimal flight conditions based on the specific environmental factors at any given time. According to the manufacturer, even if half of its rotors fail, it could still perform a controlled emergency landing.
There is no doubt that technology is advancing towards the Vehicle autonomy (airworthy or not), but there are a number of issues that, beyond technology, need to be resolved. These include issues relating to airspace safety, legislation (very different depending on the country) and, above all, the distrust that still arises for anyone flying without seeing someone at the controls. It's a matter of time.
Link to manufacturer's page: http://www.ehang.com/
