Flying cars have been part of the pop culture imagination for decades. Recently, companies from tech, aircraft, finance, and automotive industries have been looking to develop air taxi services within the next decade. These taxis might even be utilizing AI to fly themselves.
The gap between our imagination and reality may not be so big, as self-driving cars were called a “fantasy” just a few years ago. Though industry observers aren’t sure if these air-based taxis will become an industry all their own, transportation and related companies do not want to be caught unawares.
European aerospace giant Airbus recently announced a major investment in “Blade,” a startup in New York that focuses on helicopter hailing services. Just last week, Uber predicted that a service called “Uber Air” might be flying passengers within the next five or ten years. More acquisitions and plans are being made every quarter, with few companies prepared to be left in the dust.
Though the technology has yet to be fully developed, the funding and the will are abundant. All it takes is one breakthrough to trigger yet another complete change of vehicle conception
