Tablet controlled single seater drone unveiled at CES
A single-seater drone powerful enough to lift one person into the air at speeds of up to 60mph has been unveiled by a group of Chinese technology entrepreneurs at CES.
The Ehang 184 takes the form of a scaled up pilotless drone with four electric rotors positioned underneath a central carriage, powerful enough to lift a cargo of 100kg off the ground for up to 23 minutes at an altitude of between 300 and 500m.
For added comfort the craft even comes with air conditioning and a reading light and can be folded up when not in use to squeeze into a standard parking space.
With an anticipated sale price of between $200k and $300k the hair-raising craft can be controlled by a tablet issuing commands such as ‘take off’ and ‘land’ with a single click as part of a pre-programmed flight plan – with no back-up controls on board.
In the event of any incidents a remote control centre is planned to ensure the drone can be safely landed but the manufacturers contend that the quadcopter is still safer than a traditional helicopter as if the six propellers hanging from four arms were disabled it could still conduct a rough landing by using propellers on the fifth arm to spiral down.
Whether the machine ever takes off for real is uncertain however as authorities impose stringent guidelines on drone use amidst safety concerns.