We can't wait to see what the FAA and Department of Homeland Security have to say about Ehang's flying machine.
7COMENTS
It’s an audacious concept. It says CES has officially jumped the shark. But the people at Ehang, a Guangzhou, China-based drone company, say the Ehang 184 Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV) is entirely real—however turbulent its legal airspace may be. In a somewhat absurd nutshell, the Ehang 184 AAV is a 142-horsepower “personal flying vehicle” that can transport a single human being from Point A to Point B at an altitude of more than 11,000 feet.
As the company says in its marketing copy, the Ehang 184 aims to provide a “short- to medium-distance transportation solution” and is designed for “average consumers who may have very little experience with piloting any flying objects.”
Let me throw some details at you—and then I invite you to ponder whether this flying machine will ever actually fly in the United States.
Ehang says its 142-horsepower electric motor is good for an average cruising speed of 62 mph. The Ehang 184 has a span of 18 feet when fully unfolded, weighs 440 lbs, and can carry a passenger weighing up to 264 pounds. Its maximum flying altitude is 11,480 feet, and the AAV can fly for as long as 23 minutes at sea level.
And—get this—the Ehang 184 can be controlled entirely through a mobile app. In fact, Ehang says passengers only have to execute two commands: “take off” and “land.” Once you’ve set your course, the Ehang 184 will take off vertically, and use real-time sensor data (and presumably GPS) to keep you on course.
The main structure is made of a composite material, along with carbon fiber and epoxy. In the cabin, there’s one seat, one control pad, air conditioning, and a reading light. On the outside, there are lights on each of the four propellor arms (red at the front, green at the back), flashing airline signal lights, a downward-facing video camera, and a headlight.
And somewhere on the Ehang 184 AAV, there’s a trunk that fits a 16-inch backpack.
The vehicle’s name is a reference to “one passenger, eight propellers, four arms.” If you’re looking for more propellers and more arms—you know, for extra confidence in this thing staying airbone—you may be comforted by Ehang’s promise of redundant safety systems. For starters, the company says the 184 AAV has multiple power systems, so if one breaks down, the drone can still fly. Beyond that, there’s a failsafe should the flight system crap out on you: If anything malfunctions, the 184 AAV will immediately land in the nearest safe area.
Pricing: Unknown, but likely between $200,000 and $300,000 USD, according to Ehang. Availability: Also unknown, especially when it comes to the United States. But you know what’s most unknown? The Ehang 184’s essential legality. This is how the company addresses legal concerns in its explainer: “Because the 184 AAV represents an entirely new category of technology, there are regulations and agencies that are still catching up. We are in uncharted waters, and are working closely with government agencies across the planet to develop and regulate the future of transportation.”
Chinese drone-maker Ehang has developed the 184, a prototype of the first autonomous drone that will fly humans.
Drones do just about everything now: They take videos, deliver packages and defuse bombs. But they don't carry you around.
Well, until now.
Chinese drone-maker Ehang has developed the 184, a prototype of the first autonomous drone that will fly humans.
The helicopter-like flying machine seats one, and after the flier enters the destination, it will require just two button presses from the rider: take off and land. That's all it takes to pilot the thing.
The 184 (one passenger, eight propellers, four arms), isn't ready to fly just yet. There are all kinds of government clearances that it will have to obtain before you can fly by drone to work. But Ehang says it is working closely with government agencies on the technology.
Once it goes into production, it will take off vertically (no need for a runway), and land similarly. When in the air, it's capable of speeds of up to 62 miles per hour. The 184 can travel up to 11,480 feet, and it's got a battery pack that's capable of 23 minutes of flying time.
It's tiny too: just 18 feet long. But it's actually capable of being smaller than that: it can be folded into a five-foot space, so it can fit right into a standard parking spot.
You can't exactly carry it, but it's light for what it is: It weighs just 440 pounds.
For those who are afraid of flying, don't fear (that much). Ehang put all kinds of failsafes on board, including multiple power backups, a program that will land the drone at the first sign of trouble, and an On-Star-like command center for fliers who need help.
And Ehang promises that it will be much safer than driving, where drivers themselves are the main source of accidents.
Ehang hasn't estimated what the 184 will cost yet. But it plans on continuing to improve the product and get the costs down for when it's able to be produced.
Ehang 184 drone could carry you away one day
- BEN COXWORTH
- JANUARY 6, 2016
- 19 PICTURES
As might be expected, there are a lot of drones on display this week at CES. Almost all of them have one thing in common, however: people can't ride in them. We say "almost all," as there is one exception. Ehang's 184 AAV (Autonomous Aerial Vehicle) is designed to carry a single human passenger, autonomously flying them from one location to another.
Ehang CEO Huazhi Hu began designing the one-seater electric drone a couple of years ago, after two of his pilot friends were killed in plane crashes. He decided that people needed a form of short-to-medium-distance personal air transport that didn't require them to have a pilot's license, and that took much of the danger out of low-altitude flight.
The idea behind the Chinese-built 184 is that users will simply get in, power it up, select their destination using a 12-inch touchscreen tablet display, then press the "take-off" button. The drone's automated flight systems will take over from there, managing tasks such as communication with air traffic control and other aircraft, obstacle avoidance, and of course navigation – it will always choose the fastest yet safest route between its present location and its destination.
Failsafe systems will reportedly take over in the event of malfunctions, plus passengers can get the drone to stop and hover in place if needed.
The current incarnation of the 184 features a carbon fiber/epoxy composite body, an aerial aluminum alloy frame, and eight motors putting out 142 hp/106 kW to eight propellers – those props are divided into four groups of two, each pair located on the top and bottom of one of four arms. Those arms can fold up when the drone is parked on the ground, allowing it to take up less space.
Charging of its 14.4-kWh battery pack takes four hours in trickle mode or two hours in fast-charge, with a full charge reportedly being sufficient to keep one passenger airborne for up to 23 minutes at sea level. The whole thing weighs 440 lb (200 kg), can carry up to 264 lb (120 kg), has a maximum speed of 62 mph (100 km/h) and can reach a maximum altitude of 11,480 ft (3,499 m).
And yes, it also has a trunk for storing things like a backpack or delivery items. Other features include full interior and exterior lighting, air conditioning, a 4G internet connection, and gull-wing doors.
According to the Ehang rep we spoke to, the 184 is already fully functional, with a worldwide series of demo flights scheduled to begin soon. They claim that it should be commercially available later this year(!), priced somewhere between US$200,000 and $300,000.
It can be seen in actual flight (as opposed to animated flight), towards the end of the following video. And 184, incidentally, stands for "one passenger, eight propellers, four arms."
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