Getting stuck in a traffic jam is one of the most boring problems for people living in big cities. The fact that you're moving so slowly leads to stress, anger and the wish that your car could just fly over the traffic like an airplane.
Soon, however, that wish could come true. On May 8, US carrenting company Uber showed off what it described as "the transportation mode of the future: ondemand air transport", reported ABC News.
According to Nikhil Goel, head of products for Uber Air, the company's air taxi service may launch test flights in the US cities of Dallas and Los Angeles, as well as Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, as early as 2020. If everything goes according to plan, passengers will be able to fly to work by 2023.
When the Olympics comes to Los Angeles in 2028, Uber "expects to have hundreds, if not thousands, of its aircraft in the skies," Goel toldNewsweek.
So what would Uber's flying vehicles be like?
They are small, electric aircrafts that take off and land vertically (垂直地), and they give off zero emissions (排放物) and are quiet enough to operate in cities.
Just like an airplane, the vehicles will have fixed wings to help them glide. But while a helicopter has just one big fixed rotor (旋翼), Uber's vehicles will have multiple rotors, which will help increase efficiency (效率) while reducing emissions and noise.
Because of these fixed wings and multiple rotors, Uber's flying taxis "should be quieter and safer than a helicopter," reported ABC News.
However, the service still has a long way to go before it's ready to accept passengers. For example, to avoid any potential accidents, Uber is working with NASA to study air traffic control problems associated with lowflying aircraft. But just as an expert commented, "This programme is revolutionary and futureoriented (面向未来的)."
