Japanese tech startup SkyDrive Inc. successfully completed the first public demonstration of a flying car in Japan on Aug. 25, putting humans one step closer to personal flight vehicles.
In a video released Friday, the single-seat manned SD-03 circled around the 2.5-acre Toyota Test Field for about four minutes. The helmeted pilot was in control, but also assisted by a computer system to help with stability and safety.
Touted as the world’s smallest electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL), the aircraft is about 6.5 feet high and 13 feet in both width and length, approximately occupying the space of two cars. The sleek design of the vehicle is operated by eight motors and two propellers on each corner, along with two white lights in the front and a red light around the bottom for those on the ground to clearly see which way the car is going.
While the SD-03 can currently only lift up about 10 feet and hover for five to 10 minutes, the hope is to increase that to 30 minutes by the time it’s released in 2023. The company plans to obtain permits to fly outside of the Toyota Test Field by the end of the year.
