By: ALFRED MORGAN
Elon Musk’s idea of going to Mars, a computer capable of carrying out one billion billion calculations per second, dark matter detectors, and now, a successfully tested flying car. It truly appears that the sci-fi future portrayed in cliche 80s movies is coming to reality.
On August 25, 2020, a Japanese company named SkyDrive tested their new prototype called SD-03. The pilot took off and circled the testing area for around 4 minutes. It flew 10 meters above the ground at a controlled speed that is sure to be increased.
SD-03 is a one-seater flying car that contains 8 motors with dual propellers on each of its 4 corners. It is 13 feet wide, 13 feet long, and 6.5 feet tall, taking the space of around two parked cars. The car has a slick design and looks like a sort of mini helicopter. It has regular headlights and taillights and a good amount of other technology to apply to some regulations.
It is the world’s smallest developed flying car, an astonishing feat that hasn’t been accomplished by other large companies who have attempted at making a flying car possible for use in the future.
According to Lauren M. Johnson from CNN Travel, “Morre test flights will occur in the future under different conditions to make sure the safety and technology of the vehicle meet industry standards.” Johnson continues, “The success of this flight means that it is likely the car will be tested outside of the Toyota Test field by the end of the year.” This is truly exciting as SkyDrive is pushing hard to release it to the general public like a regular car. “The company will continue to develop technologies to safely and securely launch the flying car in 2023, the news release said. No price has been announced.” Johnson states.
All in all, this piece of news is definitely a mood riser from other aspects of the world and truly highlights the progress we have made as the human race. Maybe the days of long, tedious, hour long traffic jams are numbered. Additionally, so many questions can be asked about the idea of an approved flying vehicle. How will roads be constructed to apply to them? Would accidents be catastrophic? What would be the speed limit? Will people still drive drunk in vehicles 100s of feet in the air? The answers are only held in the close future, something that seems straight out of one of those cliche 80 sci-fi movies.
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