In an age where the boundaries of technology and transportation are constantly being redrawn, Suzuki Motor Corporation and SkyDrive Inc. have emerged as heralds of a new era in aviation. This collaboration, which began in March 2022, has culminated in the development of the SD-05, a flying car poised to revolutionize urban mobility.
While many may perceive letter writing as antiquated in our digital age, postal services worldwide continue to process and deliver a significant volume of physical letters and packages. Japan is on the cusp of revolutionizing postal services by marrying traditional mail delivery methods with cutting-edge drone technology.
The island nation’s first licensed human test flight was made a few days ago by a two-person flying car piloted by a robot and relying on propellers instead of wheels.
Engineers at the University of Tokyo have built a robotic spider that can walk and fly with 16 rotors mounted on its legs.
It is no small risk to embark on such a large project when the regulatory framework is still very sketchy. It is likely that new standards will have to be developed for airport construction, and that air traffic management will become much more complex than it is now, with the need to regulate an airspace that will be shared with planes and helicopters not only by drones but soon also by flying cars, Nikkei points out.
The startup Joby Aviation has teamed up with Japan’s largest airline to create an air transport service – with Toyota among its partners. Joby’s vision for the future of urban transport was first seen in 2015, when the company unveiled an electric plane designed to take off and land vertically by tilting its engines, enabling it to fly at an astonishing 330 km/h.