A smart manned flying vehicle developed by the Suzhou Automotive Research Institute of Tsinghua University has recently made a test flight. Let's take a close look.
Driven by eight propeller blades, the intelligent manned flying car resembles a technology dragonfly in shape with a futuristic sense. This car can travel 210 kilometers on land and fly 16 kilometers in the air.
“It can rise up to 1000 meters in height,” Yang Jun, Project Manager of the New Energy Vehicle Center at Tsinghua University Suzhou Automotive Research Institute, said.
Designed with the core concept of "lightweight and high load-bearing" which is specifically for low altitude flight, in particular urban travel, this flying car realizes functions such as air flight, ground driving, land air switching, flight and ground unmanned driving, enabling it to break through long-distance transportation for flying cars under heavy loads.
Thanks to the targeted development of the new generation of flight power system, the maximum takeoff weight of the flying car exceeds 800 kilograms, which can meet the needs of two people driving and riding.
“Our project uses titanium alloy, including some aviation aluminum alloy and carbon fiber alloy steel, to ensure that the total weight of the vehicle does not exceed 550 kilograms so that it can be operated under different working conditions such as hovering and has high anti-interference ability in environments with five or six levels of wind,” said Yang Jun.
The R&D team also proposed the concept of "flying brain", which is to equip the driver with an intelligent assistant, greatly reducing the difficulty of getting started with flying.
“The main challenge we will face is to tackle security issues, and it is expected to be overcome by 2024,” said Yang Jun.
As a new type of transportation tool that integrates automotive and aviation disciplines, intelligent flying vehicle has broad application prospects, making it an ideal choice to solve urban traffic congestions. They also have great potential for application in various fields such as tourism, exploration and rescue, and emergency communication.
