CBS News journalists have an exclusive opportunity to take a first look at the prototype of a flying taxi company Uber, which, according to plans, will have to go into the air with the first passengers somewhere in 2020. The company will also show a prototype of a flying taxi at the Uber Elevate Summit, which will be held in Los Angeles this week.
In general, the design of the device is more like a large quadrocopter, rather than a flying car. A few rotors of a flying taxi will allow vertical takeoff and landing. The body of the apparatus is closer to the aircraft fuselage than to the helicopter. The flying Uber taxi will work on electricity, therefore, as the journalists of the TV channel note, the device will be quieter, more efficient and more economical than an ordinary helicopter.
According to Uber CEO Dara Khosrovshakhi, people will be able to order a flying taxi through a mobile application, and then head to the nearest airport on the roof of one of the buildings. In addition, the company plans to offer a separate payment service: each unit will be able to take on board up to four passengers, which will reduce the final cost of the flight.
According to various sources, the company's early prototype demonstration probably decided to divert public attention from the incident that occurred in Arizona in March of this year. Recall that an unmanned vehicle Uber knocked a bicyclist crossing the road in the wrong place in the dark.
The investigation of this incident is still ongoing, and as it became known, new details emerged in it. According to the latest data, the accident was caused by the fault of "incorrectly configured software". It's about software, which, based on the received data from sensors and cameras, gives the computer a command to "ignore obstacles on the road."
The software should have been programmed to stop the car in front of really serious obstacles. As representatives of the company explained, this measure was forced, since otherwise the drone would have braked before every flying on the road a package. Unfortunately, a mistake in programming led to a tragedy - the car at full speed rode into the bicyclist.