Chinese company Ehang unveiled the world’s first commercially available passenger drone at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The Ehang 184, looks like a large drone – except that it has a small cockpit in the middle capable of carrying a single passenger.
Fly to work in the world's first autonomous, human-size drone https://t.co/gWXiOi02jz pic.twitter.com/WXHQKLWbvk
— FORTUNE (@FortuneMagazine) January 7, 2016
It is expected to be available in 2016 for between $200,000 and $300,000. The Ehang 184 is all electric, and will be able to transport a single passenger up to 220 pounds, for roughly 23 minutes of flight at a maximum height of 500 meters. If anything should go wrong, a human pilot is expected to take over the controls from a remote command station.
To take it for a flight will require no pilot’s licence. It will be controlled from your mobile device: The passenger will punch their destination into a mobile app and will then have only two possible commands: “take off” and “land.”
Inside the cabin is a single seat, similar to an F1 racing car seat. In front of the seat is a tablet console, where the passenger can easily input commands. The cabin’s built-in air conditioner automatically adjusts the in-cabin temperature. It comes complete with 4G Wi-Fi Internet.
Here is the official launch video:
The company believes the Ehang 184 has huge potential, not just for transportation, but also for retail deliveries and shipping, as well as medical care.