Tactical Robotics, a developer of enclosed rotor VTOL technology in Israel, has signed an agreement with Boeing to explore both the production options and commercial applications of Tactical Robotic’s autonomous aerial vehicles.

The Tactical Robotics autonomous ‘Comorant’ is about the same dimensions as a Humvee

So far, Tactical has designed and prototyped a heavy-duty unmanned VTOL called the Comorant (seen above). The single-engine aircraft is autonomous or can be remotely controlled, and is purpose-built for emergency responses and important operations. Unique to Tactical Robotic’s design is its enclosed rotors, which, according to the company, will enable it to traverse and access some types of terrain (e.g. mountainous, wooded, urban) that helicopters may have more difficulty with. Additionally, enclosed rotors have enhanced safety for people surrounding them.

Through the new agreement, Boeing and Tactical Robotics hope to work together on jointly “developing, producing and marketing” aircraft with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities. Boeing has already developed a passenger air vehicle prototype with its new subsidiary Aurora Flight sciences, and has partnered with Uber Elevate, so technology from Tactical may contribute to Boeing’s air taxi ambitions.

The stated mission of Tactical Robotic’s parent company, Urban Aeronautics, is to”create, manufacture and market a family of VTOL, multi-mission, utility aircraft known that are capable of operating safely in complex urban and natural environments”. Urban Aeronautics, which has existed for over 35 years and is lead by Dr. Rafi Yoeli, is using what it calls ‘Fancraft’ technology to design vehicles for passenger use as well as emergency response. UrbanAero’s other subsidiary, Metro Skyways, is developing the CityHawk eVTOL for urban use, which follows a similar design to the Comorant. Fancraft technology uses ducted rotors for lift, and transitions to accelerated forward flight by diverting more of the airstream rearwards.

Urban Aeronautics & Metro Skyway’s CityHawk, which uses the same ducted fan technology as in the Tactical Robotics Comorant.

Why it’s important: Tactical Robotics brings forward a new kind of VTOL technology in the form of enclosed ducted fans used for both lift and forward acceleration. This fan style is unique to Tactical Robotics, and may offer important benefits that open-rotor VTOLs lack. Through this new partnership, Boeing will be able to explore the potential of this technology, as well as eventually offer it in some of their commercially offered aircraft and services.

EHang’s newest White Paper explores urban air Mobility vehicle and infrastructure design, applications of technology, the current regulatory landscape, and the path towards commercialization. 

The EHang 216 AAV, which has already undergone many test flights and is nearly ready for commercial launch.

EHang (Nasdaq: EH), one of the world’s leading autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) technology companies, has published its first white paper on the future of transportation and Urban Air Mobility (UAM). The white paper explores UAM’s potential to transform transportation globally with insights into vehicle design, an overview of potential applications and the current regulatory landscape, and recommendations for how to optimize UAM’s path towards commercialization.

“UAM and the widespread use of passenger and cargo AAVs will transform how people and goods move around urban areas,” said Mr. Huazhi Hu, the Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of EHang. “The successful deployment of AAVs will help cities improve efficiency, enhance safety, cut costs, and become more environmentally sustainable.”

A clip from EHang’s first U.S trial flight in North Carolina.

EHang’s key points from the white paper include:

• UAM will be safer, more effective, and more immediately deployable if it structurally resembles an on-demand bus system with centralized oversight and set point-to-point routes rather than a taxi system with diffuse routes.

• The success of UAM will depend on commercial operations that are centrally managed. This is a different model from the traditional airline industry in which hundreds of airlines globally compete with each other, leading to smaller margins.

• Key characteristics of a successful UAM system include: autonomous services (i.e. pilotless passenger and cargo transportation); point-to-point, straight-line, fixed air routes; a centralized command-and-control platform that manages all AAV flights within a certain area; a shared economy (i.e. no individual ownership of AAVs); and a reliance on green energy.

• In order to ensure that safety remains the top priority for vehicle design, AAVs need to include: power source redundancy (e.g. by having multiple motors and propellers); completely autonomous operations; back-up / duplicate flight control, communications, and navigation systems.

• Based on EHang’s modeling for future commercial operations, a straight-line trip on an AAV could be cheaper for the user than a current New York City taxi ride covering the same distance, all while still being profitable to the operator. Furthermore, the model used is highly conservative since it does not capture the efficiency gains of future economies of scale, improved battery technologies, etc.

• While the AAV conversation has mostly focused on urban spaces, there are broad non-urban applications for services currently being provided by helicopters, including in search and rescue, emergency medical services, offshore operations, oil and gas, firefighting, forestry, power-line repair and surveys, agriculture and pest control, media, aerial photography, and law enforcement.

• The successful development of a UAM ecosystem will require deep collaboration between UAM vehicle providers, UAM network operators, infrastructure developers, telecommunication network partners, city, regional and national governments, etc.

Read the full white paper from EHang here.

EHang has already commercialized its passenger-grade AAVs, having delivered 38 units to customers as of December 5, 2019, and is actively working to make UAM an everyday reality in cities worldwide. To date, EHang has safely conducted over two thousand test flights both inside and outside of China to ensure that its AAVs operate safely and reliably. 

Why it’s important: With the new white paper, EHang has joined the likes of Uber Elevate, Volocopter, and Airbus on outlining its vision for the future of aerial mobility through white paper. The Chinese company has certainly earned credibility recently, having recently opened on the NASDAQ with a $662 million valuation, and completing its first trial flight in the U.S in North Carolina. With the publishing of this white paper along with its other recent successes, EHang marks its place among the top aerial mobility companies worldwide.

Other recent news about EHang:

• EHang Successfully Completes First U.S Trial Flight
• EHang’s IPO Results in $662 Million Valuation
• EHang takes new step towards launching pilotless air taxi route in Guangzhou

SkyDrive, a Japanese flying car developer, completed its first tests flights in late 2019 and demonstrated carrying a heavy payload (44 pounds) in a remote location.

SkyDrive is developing the cargo drone for use in industries that carry heavy materials on complex terrain such as slopes, mountain valleys, overpasses, power transmission towers, civil engineering/construction sites, agricultural fields, etc. Usage of cargo drones will help avoid dangerous works, save personnel and shorten the term of works. In realizing its goals, SkyDrive can contribute to responding to labor shortages and improving Japan’s labor productivity sagging due to its declining population.

SkyDrive’s drone prototype which successfully flew a 44 pound payload.

Last year, SkyDrive received $14M USD in funding from various third parties including Drone Fund, Z Corporation, STRIVE III Limited Liability Partnership, ITOCHU Technology Ventures, Inc. and Energy & Environment Investment, Inc. SkyDrive’s prototype is 4 feet in length and 5.5 feet wide. It can fly for 15 minutes carrying a maximum payload of 60 pounds.

SkyDrive Chief Executive Tomohiro Fukuzawa said: “We are delighted to successfully test this world-leading technology. Our cargo drone has proven to deliver by safely lifting loads of up to 20kg in a mountainous area — saving time and money. “We look forward to expanding on this success by testing heavier loads for customers in the future. Our quest is to create cutting-edge technology that will improve the productivity of businesses across the world — and today we celebrate a key milestone in making that happen.”

The company has also announced plans to develop a flying car and begin mass production by 2026.

Why it matters: SkyDrive is joining a crowded commercial drone space in the UAS industry, however, its funding and technological expertise position it to succeed among the competition. With the completion of the company’s initial test flights, the technical specifications have been demonstrated. Further, the research and development of their drone will trickle down into its flying car aspirations.

Transcend Air, based in Boston MA, has partnered with  design studio Huslig Collective to create custom Reserved Editions of its Vy400 aircraft.

The Vy400 is Transcend Air’s VTOL aircraft, which will be available both as an air taxi service of the U.S and privately for $6M USD.

Transcend Air’s Vy400 tilt-wing aircraft has been in development since 2009, with an official company formed in 2017. Well on its way to market release, the Vy400 can fly up to 450 miles at 400mph, with 2,190 lbs of useful payload and cabin pressurization up to 8,000 ft.

In the company’s latest news, Transcend Air is offering refined interior options for the Vy400 to make it spacious, luxurious, and comfortable for hour-long flights. For this, it has partnered with renowned design firm Huslig Collective to custom-make interiors according to Reserved Edition buyers’ specifications.

Said Huslig Collective President Mark Huslig:

Great design is a dialog between the imagined and the possible. The Vy 400R opens up new possibilities for flight, and we already imagine new ways to make that experience more incredible…. We can’t wait to help personalize the completions with their new owners.”

A look at a possible custom interior for the Transcend Air Vy400R.

Transcend Air chose Huslig collective for its depth of experience in creating remarkable and innovative vehicle interiors. According to Transcend Air COO Peter Schmidt, Huslig was the “perfect choice” to work with Transcend’s Reserved Edition customers. He added, “From helicopters to jets, their creations are outstanding and truly unique.”

An Airbus H-160 helicopter interior design by Huslig Collective.

Forty positions are currently available for orders of the Vy400R. Base versions of the Vy400 won’t be available until 2021. Anyone interested in the ordering a Vy400R can contact Transcend Air at contact@transcend.aero. 

Why it’s important: By positioning itself to enter the market early with a luxury aircraft, Transcend Air has begun to mark its territory in the city to city VTOL transport segment. While other companies such as EHang, Volocopter, and Uber focus on affordable intra-city transport, Transcend Air proves variation in the VTOL marketing by targeting longer distances and more affluent customers. Providing a luxury version of the Vy400 will do much to help push this new industry segment forward.

Related: See Leonardo’s Helicopters’ Luxury tilt-rotor AW609.

Sources // Transcend Air, Huslig Collective, Business Wire

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With a great deal of ambition, imaginative on-road vehicle designer Ludovic Lazareth and his team have created a flying motorcycle.

Lazareth’s “Moto Volante” is powred by four small jet engines.

The four wheels of the Moto Volante each have a JetCat turbine (developed by NASA) at their center, and fold out from the vehicle’s body to become the four lift points of the aircraft. Riders pull a switch and turn a few knobs on the control panel, and the wheels fold out into the horizontal flight position while small landing legs come out from the vehicle’s underside. From there, riders can soar through the sky for up to ten minutes.

Electric on the ground and jet powered in the air, the Moto Volante was built to challenge the limits of what motorcycles can be. Italian designer Ludovic Lazareth has been designing innovative motorcycles within his own company since 1998, one of the most recent being the LM847, a 470 horsepower motorcycle with a Maserati engine. Lazareth considers himself a mentee of famous auto-motive designer Franco Sbarro. 

Left: The Moto Volante’s control panel which displays relevant information such as altitude, speed, and remaining power.              Right: The Moto Volante’s jet engines built into the center hub of its wheels

Although the Moto Volante will cost $500k USD and only five of them will be made, Lazareth isn’t the only company making commercially available personal flying machines. Already on the market for only $100k USD, Hoversurf’s Scorpion S3 Hoverbike has already been sold to the Dubai Police, and Assen Andonov’s is well on its way to market.

Why it’s important:  Since only a few copies of the Moto Volante will be made at an extremely high price, the vehicle itself is more of an exotic engineering challenge rather than something that’s close to market for mass audiences. However, the Lazareth team has shown that this kind of micro flight technology is now possible. Other larger companies even such as Goodyear have taken interest in developing in-wheel lift propulsion, and still others continue to work on personal flight.