Category: Operators

At the Uber Elevate Summit last week in Washington D.C, the Uber Eats team announced that it has successfully completed a food delivery test at San Diego state University. The team plans on beginning larger scale testing operations in San Diego imminently.

The purpose of the Uber Eats Drones latest test in San Diego was to demonstrate how Uber Eats will accept orders, load food onto the drone, fly the delivery mission, and drop off the package at its destination. Packages will be specifically designed for Uber Eats drones, and couriers will take the package from its drop-off point to its final destination seamlessly. See the full video describing how it will work here:

Uber is building delivery testing in San Diego in collaboration with the FAA’s Integrated Pilot Program (IPP). Under the IPP program, the Department of Transportation will “enter into agreements with State, local, and tribal governments to establish innovation zones for testing complex UAS operations and to attempt different models for integrating drones into local airspace.” Essentially, this means that companies like Uber are being given permission to complete testing of their new technologies in specified areas, even including beyond-visual-line-of-sight flights.

While the IPP program takes great strides forward for Urban Air Mobility, it does not mention specifically how air traffic management will work. Presumably, management of its own drones will be Uber’s responsibility (using Uber Elevate Cloud Services UTM software), but, this situation will become more complicated once other companies seek to operate within the same airspace. At this juncture, decisions will have to be made about which company, if not the government, will be responsible for managing flights. Notably, NASA has already begun to work closely with the FAA to build a UTM system, as have companies like AirMap and SkyGrid. Learn more about NASAs’ UTM research here. 

Uber Eats drone in flight over the University of San Diego

Why it’s important: The launching of Uber Eats drone delivery tests marks the beginning of large scale drone delivery services in the U.S. As Uber Eats moves forward with testing and into commercial operations, it will pave the way for airspace traffic management services (UTM) and for low-altitude urban flight in general, eventually leading to passenger vehicles. Once Uber officializes its FAA certification for commercial operation under part 135, it will become the second ever company in the U.S to do so following Wing Aviation, which gained FAA certification in May.

This article originally featured on Diamandis.com. Read the full article here.

The Future of Disruptive Real Estate and Construction Holds a Place for Urban Air Mobility

Today, the value of a location is a function of its proximity to your workplace, your city’s central business district, the best schools, or your closest friends.

But what happens when driverless cars desensitize you to distance, or Hyperloop and flying cars decimate your commute time? Historically, every time new transit methods have hit the mainstream, tolerance for distance has opened up right alongside them, further catalyzing city spread.

And just as Hyperloop and the Boring Company aim to make your commute immaterial, autonomous vehicle (AV) ridesharing services will spread out cities in two ways: (1) by drastically reducing parking spaces needed (vertical parking decks = more prime real estate); and (2) by untethering you to the steering wheel. Want an extra two hours of sleep on the way to work? Schedule a sleeper AV and nap on your route to the office. Need a car-turned-mobile office? No problem.

Meanwhile, aerial taxis (i.e. flying cars) will allow you to escape ground congestion entirely, delivering you from bedroom to boardroom at decimated time scales.

A Vertiport for air taxis could be developed in locations such as Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands. Vertiports are already planned for construction in Dubai, Los Angeles, and Dallas.

Already working with regulators, Uber Elevate has staked ambitious plans for its UberAIR airborne taxi project. By 2023, Uber anticipates rolling out flying drones in its two first pilot cities, Los Angeles and Dallas. Flying between rooftop skyports, drones would carry passengers at a height of 1,000 to 2,000 feet at speeds between 100 to 200 mph. And while costs per ride are anticipated to resemble those of an Uber Black based on mileage, prices are projected to soon drop to those of an UberX.

But the true economic feat boils down to this: if I were to commute 50 to 100 kilometers, I could get two or three times the house for the same price. (Not to mention the extra living space offered up by my now-unneeded garage.)

All of a sudden, virtual reality, broadband, AVs or high-speed vehicles, are going to change where we live and where we work. So rather than living in a crowded, dense urban core for access to jobs and entertainment, our future of personalized, autonomous, low-cost transport opens the luxury of rural areas to all without compromising the benefits of a short commute.

Why it’s important: Diamandis’ tech blog touches on a few of the key factors for the interplay between real estate investment, disruptive construction techniques, and novel urban planning. While not commonly discussed, the groundwork for real estate development in cities such as Dallas, Dubai, and Miami specific to urban air mobility operations is currently being laid by multiple commercial real estate firms in anticipation of the rapid expansion of the industry to come.

Uber has submitted an application to the FAA to begin drone deliveries in San Diego.  The application is for permission to conduct commercial flights under 400ft within a specified 4-mile radius. Learn more:

Concept drawing of an Uber Eats drone in flight

Major transportation company Uber has filed for permission to complete commercial flights using unmanned aerial systems (drones) in the urban area of San Diego, California. The applications specifies that drones will offer “food delivery in very small packages” under 400 feet, within a specific 4 mile radius.

With this request, Uber Elevate (Uber’s aviation division) is seeking for exemption from a total of 16 federal safety and operational regulations required for traditional aircraft, including exceptions for atypical on-board navigation and communication equipment. For the deliveries, Uber plans on using the AirRobot Unmanned Aerial System, seen below:

The AirRobot 200 Unmanned Aerial System, which Uber plans on using for its Uber Eats drone deliveries in San Diego

Uber expects delivery services to begin in 2021. While it is still unclear exactly how the low airspace will be managed, it’s safe to assume that Uber itself will responsible for managing interactions between aircraft. Although Uber and other stakeholders are urging the San Diego government to approve Uber’s application, lawmakers need to consider how airspace will be managed if other companies enter the delivery airspace. NASA and company’s like Boeing’s SkyGrid  and AirMap have already begun developing low altitude unmanned airspace management systems. Read here about the federal approach to urban air mobility. 

NASA’s vision for the future of urban air mobility

Notably, the submission of Uber’s application comes shortly after Wing Aviation received its commercial certification from the FAA to complete drone deliveries in Montgomery County, Virginia. Prior to its success in Virginia, Wing Aviation had already been operating drone deliveries in Australia and Finland. Success of these pilot programs shows potential for the upcoming Uber Eats Drone deliveries.

A Wing drone delivery in progress

Why it’s important: Some of the greatest obstacles for passenger capable urban aviation include societal acceptance of urban aircraft, and FAA approval for autonomous, low flying systems. With more drone delivery companies getting approved, a regulatory pathway begins to form for larger vehicles, and with more drones in the skies, urban dwellers get used to the idea of urban aviation. Ultimately, smaller vehicles like Uber Eats drones and Wing Aviation drones pave the way for larger scale urban air mobility.

Sources: // Chain Storage, FreightWaves, Uber 

Bosch’s Senior Manager of UAM Marcus Parentis’ opinion on the feasibility of flying cars is optimistic. Referencing the aesthetically impressive Spinners from the movie, “Blade Runner 2049”, Parentis believes that while real flying cars may not resemble the Spinner at all, it is very likely that we will see the first flying taxis by the early 2020s. Specifically mentioning eVTOLs, Parentis predicts that there will be an overarching trend of shared urban air mobility, as opposed to privately owned flying cars. This prediction comes from the belief that once the relevant infrastructure is set in place, shared UAM will likely be much more affordable for the average consumer, at prices comparable to regular taxi fares right now.

The Spinner from “Blade Runner 2049”

The main reason why our future flying cars will not resemble the Spinners from “Blade Runner 2049” stems from the need to reduce both regular and noise pollution. In an urban environment, multiple flying cars propelled by a jet turbine like the Spinner would not be wise. The noise would heavily disrupt both indoors and pedestrian traffic, while the use of a jet turbine would possess no advantages in fuel efficiency or reduction of carbon footprints. But companies are moving in the right direction. “Since 2017, just under one billion euro has been invested worldwide in the market for flying taxis,” says Parentis.

A conceptual render of EmbraerX’s Dreammaker

Parentis mentions that Bosch specifically intends to make the future commercialization of flying taxis affordable for both manufacturers and consumers. The Bosch MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) sensor box, packed with sensors that measure an aircraft’s accelerations, angle of attack, compass heading, altitude, and current speed, presents an important piece of technology proven useful in the automotive and aerospace industries; the MEMS sensor could soon be supplied at affordable prices for flying taxis in the future as well.

Airbus’ CityAirbus, their take on an eVTOL meant for urban air mobility

Why it’s important: From a technical standpoint, UAM and flying taxis are already possible. Parentis believes that the biggest obstacle to UAM will be the initial setup, ranging everywhere from standardizing regulations to completing UAM upgrades to existing public transportation infrastructure. In the hopes of making UAM easier to achieve, the ideal flying car would have to see a reduction in price of its parts, and rely on electricity, not fuel, to propel the motors.

Sources // Bosch

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In China, eHang has partnered with DHL to develop an autonomous drone delivery route. In Finland, Wing deliveries are soon to begin in Helsinki. Learn more below:

Chinese comany eHang is most well known for the eHang 184 passenger drone. However, eHang also is the maker of a wide range of commercial drones. DHL will now work with eHang to develop a drone delivery route for an anonymous DHL customer. The route will run about 8km from the DHL fulfillment center in Guangdong to the customer’s premises. The implentation of the fully autonomous route will reduce the 40 minute trip down to 8 minutes, and will cut costs of each delivery by about 80%. Learn more about how the system works here:

Meanwhile, in Finland, Wing has announced that it will soon commence delivery service in Hesinki, the nation’s capital. Although flights will be limited to certain destinations and products, the launch announced for next month aligns with Wing’s original predicted launch date. Beginning next month, people in the densely populated Vuossari District will be able to order deliveries to their homes from Herkku Food Mark and Cafe Monami. Notably, Wing recently attained commercial certification in the United States, and has already begun operating in Australia. According to Wing, the ultimate goal in Hesinki is to solve the city’s congestion’s problems.

“Vuosaari is an inspiring locale for Wing in several ways…The density of Vuosaari’s population makes it a great place to launch our first service to multi-family housing communities as well.” -Wing Medium page

A Wing drone delivery in progress

Why it’s important: The quickening pace of drone delivery services worldwide marks a major step for autonomous urban flight. As these services prove to be economically viable and safe, regulations and social acceptance of larger vehicles carrying passengers will come more quickly. Ultimately, urban drone deliveries pave the way for electric on-demand flight.

Sources // Wing, eHang, TechCrunch, Dronebelow