Last summer, the Japanese government committed to having flying cars in its skies by the end of the next decade. The country has thus become the first in the world to have a plan for the creation and operation of such machines.
To make this dream a reality, the Japanese set up the Public-Private Conference for Future Air Mobility group, comprising government agencies, universities, and private companies. Among them, NEC Corp, Japan Airlines, Subaru, and Uber.
This week, the results of the initial research into the project are in.
At the NEC Corp. facility in Abiko, Chiba Prefecture, the electronics maker demonstrated on Monday (August 5) the concept of a flying car. For a short time, the contraption took to the sky, proving, once again, that personal flying machines could be a viable transport solution for the future.
The flying car is not actually a car, but a quadcopter whose exact specs were not released. What is known is that it measures 3.9 meters (12.7 feet) long and weighs around 150 kg (330 pounds).
According to local media that was present at the presentation, the entire flight of the car lasted far less than the safety checks performed by NEC engineers. Also, the vehicle was tied to the ground.
As you can see in the video below, the machine is enclosed in a cage of sorts, to make sure that is anything goes wrong no one would get hurt. Also, all those attending are wearing helmets.
It’s unclear at this point whether the test was a success or not, but since no one got injured and the car is still in one piece, it’s safe to assume it nailed it.
According to Japan Today, the car flew for only a few seconds, and the vehicle reached an altitude of 3 meters (10 feet).
The NEC test is the first in a long series to come. Uber is expected to demonstrate its flyer next year, and several other companies are close to a test project as well.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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