Chinese UAV company, EHang has lately introduced a working prototype of a new “drone” known as the 184 Personal Flying Vehicle. This large, particular drone is capable of carrying a human passenger to any destination within a 23-minute flight time reach. The 184 is set to fly under 11,000 feet, as well as having the ability to fly at a top speed of 62mph (99km/h).
Passengers are able to take limited control of the 184 such as take off, pause flight and land, while the rest of the trip will be taken over by its automatic flight system. They can also tell the drone about their specific destinations via a smartphone app, prompting it to fly there immediately. Additionally, the 184 sports several features in its interior including air conditioning, a 4G data connection, a big storage space and even a dual coloured reading light.
In terms of safety precaution, the 184 has failsafe systems in place that would trigger the drone to initiate an emergency landing should a problem arises. Besides, Ehang officially stated that it would set up a low-altitude flight command center to monitor all 184 in existence.
Ehang confirms that the drone will be commercially available sometime in 2016, and carries a price tag of around US$200,000 (approximately RM880,000) to US$300,000 (about more than RM1.3 million).
(Source: Engadget)
