"What was the most amazing thing you saw at CES 2017 in Las Vegas?"
That's the number one "Frequently Asked Question" I get from my readers. This article is my attempt to provide an adequate answer.
I had the pleasure of attending CES last week, the massive annual trade show for electronics industry professionals. While there are countless amazing things to see at the show, for me personally, the highlight of the show was undoubtedly the EHang 184 Autonomous Aerial Vehicle.
NOTE: Don't miss my first two posts about CES: Here, and here.
The EHang 184 Autonomous Aerial Vehicle - Original Photo
I had passed the EHang 184 AAV at CES last year,
but failed to realize and understand what it was at that time. Having read more about it during the past year, I made a point of finding the EHang and taking a closer look.
EHang 184 is an amazing "airborne taxi" currently under intensive development by this Chinese company. It is designed to rapidly carry one passenger by air from point to point within a city.
EHang 184 Brochure - Original Photo
I want to fly! I have always wanted to fly.
That's probably why, had you been at CES a few days ago, you might have seen me drooling over this little aircar.
For the last three decades, I've repeated the following mantra to anyone who would listen:
"If we had spent 10% of the cost of the interstate highway system on research, we'd all be flying everywhere by now and wouldn't need massive concrete ribbons covering the land."
I remember as a child hearing all the promises of an amazing future, and being able to fly anywhere was one of those promises. I expected that promise to be fulfilled much sooner, but have been sorely disappointed.
As a teenager in the '60's, I saw Molt Taylor's beautiful second-generation Aerocar, and have been waiting forever for the Moller Skycar.
Molt Taylor's Beautiful Aerocar III
Photo by Jim Collaborator via Wikimedia Commons
Moulton "Molt" Taylor was,
of course, light-years ahead of his time and had fully-functional flying cars that could be converted between road mode and flight mode literally in a matter of minutes. He was very gracious to my dad and me when we "dropped in" out of nowhere at his shop in Longview, Washington to see his incredible machine.
Paul Moller is a visionary who has also inspired my imagination over the years, though (to my knowledge) he has yet to produce a reliable flying vehicle.
Given that brief background of my interest, you may be able to imagine how thrilling this EHang 184 test flight video is to me:
As you can see from this recent video,
actual flight testing of the EHang 184 is ongoing and progressing at an excellent pace with very promising results. The model 184 is designed, literally "from the ground up," with safety in mind. Multiply-redundant power and control systems ensure the safety of the passenger.
Although with four "lifter booms" the EHang looks like a quadcopter, it is in reality an "octocopter" because each boom has two independent high-power electric motors and composite propellers. Thus, if any of the motors or props were to fail, there is still adequate lift and control to bring the EHang 184 to a safe landing.
For a somewhat longer and earlier video that explores more of the development and operation of the machine, check out this YouTube video also.
Don't miss the EHang 184 web page
where you can find a fair amount of detail about the project, "straight from the horse's mouth."
The EHang 184 Autonomous Aerial Vehicle
Photo by Ben Smith CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
"Private autonomous flight is the future of transportation."
You may quote me on that. It has been the future of transportation for me for all of my life. Within the past year, I have discovered considerable reason to believe that PAVs (Personal Aerial Vehicles) will become readily available within the next ten years, but that's a subject for an upcoming post; stay tuned to my blog! ;)
EHang 184 From the Back - Original Photo
Seen from behind, the EHang 184
control screen is visible through the open gull-wing door. A company representative stands in front, being interviewed by media.
As an EHang 184 passenger, you can look forward to simply being seated, selecting your choice of destination from a touch-enabled map, and then sitting back to enjoy the ride.
In closing,
and consonant with earlier posts in this series, here's another lovely CES Booth Babe for you:
Furrion Booth Babe - Original Photo
Vive la différence!
As an agorist, I have to stay a step ahead.
Visiting CES fairly regularly helps stimulate my imagination and renew my creative energies. I get to see cool stuff, talk to interesting people, and try out new things. If you can stand the crowds, I recommend it.
Thanks for your time and attention.
I'm here on Steemit because of you, my readers. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you!
This post is intended to count towards @dragosroua's Challenge30.
I have very eclectic interests and hope, over time, to write about all of them.
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