tech

NEC shows 'flying car' hovering steadily for minute

52 Comments
By Yuri Kageyama

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

52 Comments
Login to comment

Good luck to them, but I think the target of mass adoption by the 2030's is a little optimistic, if not far fetched.

Considering all the problems around regulating drones I doubt that we will se anything of this type under mass production or adoption before 2060 at the earliest. Also I doubt the price will be suitable for the everyday person on the street. At best this will be a toy for the rich and a novelty for the tourist looking to zip around Tokyo in a different fashion.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

The goal is to deliver a seamless transition from driving to flight like the world of "Back to the Future," 

Now 'this', is interesting. If one can take off or land and automatically go into driving mode that would make it a lot more appealing, instead of just take off and landing like a helicopter can. But it will take another decade for this to be implemented.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

It is a giant drone.  Imagine the chaos if these ever became a common mode of transport.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

The Japanese government is behind flying cars, with the goal of having people zipping around in them by the 2030s.

BS nonsense from the Japanese government. This demo is really not impressive at all regarding the vehicle itself and it just adds to the point that this goal is totally unreachable by 2030. No way!

This is just too complex to have a lot of vehicles flying around at low altitude without dramatic outcomes. The infrastructure and its associated technology needed to do that are just not there, and what we have now is just primitive. I mean getting to have autonomous vehicles moving on a 2D plane is turning to be already a nightmare to get right, let alone by adding a third dimension.

I actually find this flying car thing be very silly. What people should focus on is developing better transportation technologies for our already available infrastructure not going after silly dreams. Another super difficult challenge would be to seriously go after developing environmentally friendlier planes when it comes to flying vehicles. Again not those stupid things.

Japanese officials say Japan has a good chance of emerging as a world leader because the government and the private sector will work closely together.

Yeah yeah bragging about Japan but their country is still using fax.

4 ( +10 / -6 )

It's not that far fetched really, just a bit scary because it's hard to imagine. They would no doubt be programmed to fly on their own on designated routes so collisions could be avoided. Just like driverless cars, there'll be some incidents and some deaths (as there always have been with airplanes and helicopters) but the technology and safety will improve exponentially.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

And the point of that contraption is? Promoting the most inefficient and dangerous form of individual transport imaginable? Anything else?

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

@daito_hak

Yeah yeah bragging about Japan but their country is still using fax.

A joke as dumb as the people that use it. Because the US and Europe's IT sector is using the BLEEDING edge of technology, right?

Enough with this weird depreciation and disrespect of Japan's tech industry. Has it seen better times? Yes. Is it NEARLY as bad as you people think? No. A quick Google search will show you how much Japan really is tech advanced, both from a consumer tech standpoint like headphones and TVs, to things like trains and whatnot. There's this weird assumption that high end smartphones is all you need to be a tech superpower which... is obviously, I think, not the case.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

This is why Japanese car sales have slumped in Korea; they’re just avoiding outdated technology and waiting for more advanced models to be released ;-)

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

This is just too complex to have a lot of vehicles flying around at low altitude without dramatic outcomes. The infrastructure and its associated technology needed to do that are just not there, and what we have now is just primitive. I mean getting to have autonomous vehicles moving on a 2D plane is turning to be already a nightmare to get right, let alone by adding a third dimension.

On bright side, if this was ever to become common place, going to work would be a whole new thrill! That would sure be dramatic, not knowing if you'll actually arrive, or crash into the ground in a burning mess. Oh the joys

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Japanese officials say Japan has a good chance of emerging as a world leader because the government and the private sector will work closely together.

Yeah this is what you get when the government cares more about corporate interests than the interests of society or the environment.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

This is so stupid..... show me a flying car that has a range of 100 miles. Other companies out there are already vastly surpassing Japanese companies.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

"Yeah yeah bragging about Japan but their country is still using fax"

We use fax(es) in the UK.

What's your point?!

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Good luck to them, but I think the target of mass adoption by the 2030's is a little optimistic, if not far fetched.

@joyridingonthetitanic

I agree with you. We still haven’t perfected the parts on normal cars yet. Furthermore, new airplanes released are having issues. Now you want me to believe that these flying cars won’t drop out of the sky? Furthermore, while you want them to be available by 2030, there are still a lot of things that need to be sorted out such as airspace rules and regulations. Also, look at the price of vehicles now, I’m pretty sure flying cars will be nowhere close to affordable.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

They will be up and running by delivery/internet companies like Uber, Amazon and Google first. If developers can control the weather, maybe, but even experienced pilots aren't going to get in a helicopter that size in storm conditions.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If a car, they should put a family of 3-5 inside while in the air to show it can support their weight...And groceries.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The family should be inside before it takes off (caveat)

1 ( +1 / -0 )

China is so far ahead of Japan in the use of drones -this hovered for a minute...it’s not worth another comment!

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

that's sound really nice i hope they would make some of them asap and i hope it's gonna work

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Iinteresting technology. Check out Kittyhawk.com and Boeing buying out their Cora division probably for flying taxis.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Now on a different tact... will Flying cars require a Pilot's license ?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I doubt a pilots license but the drivers test would obviously have to be changed. And the number of people that choose to try it can still be relatively small but make a big difference in sustainably freeing up roads.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Japan always amaze me!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Yawn. Another flying car. Add this one to the list of "cars" that have flown since the 1950's.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@yildiray

This is why Japanese car sales have slumped in Korea; they’re just avoiding outdated technology and waiting for more advanced models to be released ;-)

Yes, because everyone knows that a Hyundai is better than a Honda. lmao

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If its a Japanese made then no body else can stand against Japan. Very Good

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I see many problems with most projected vehicles especially power generation and safety. Current battery technology, as advanced as it may be, is not advanced enough for longer and commercially viable flights, so the need for hybrid technology and more dynamic motor and rotor designs. I saw Dyson was looking te creating a machine which could address certain safety concerns.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Unbelievable technology! This was only imagined before in S/F movies. Now a reality in Japan!

I look forward to the day when the roads are safer and quiter, with almost zero cars, and most transport is done with "flying vehicles", controlled by AI and/or robots. I hope Japan achieves this by the 2030s, along with the 100% banning of gasoline powered cars. Thank you, NEC, thank you Japanese government!

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

The battery capacity for flying is much lower than ground. Expect 15 minutes before having to recharge or swap out battery.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Is this machine designed by smart people ?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Wait. It looks like there's still a cable attached to it.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

China is so far ahead of Japan in the use of drones -this hovered for a minute...it’s not worth another comment!

LOL!

The shortest book in the world "What the World Can Learn from Chinese Standards of Quality and Technology".

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-faraday-future-restructuring/chinas-faraday-future-ends-dispute-with-main-investor-idUSKCN1OU12X

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Wait. It looks like there's still a cable attached to it.

It's only an early prototype, the cable could be for a number of reasons. Test instrumentation, controls, or even just to make sure it stays where it was supposed to for the test.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

There is no government that is going to allow individuals to be able to take off, hover, fly off anytime or anywhere of their choosing. Every nation likes to think their free but if they can’t put their thumb on a citizen to keep them under control it is not going to come to fruition.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I have a simple question for the makers:

Can it hold 200-300 kilograms of payload, the equivalent of 2-4 people with groceries, etc?

If not, it's just a big drone that's less useful than the thing some guy's using to fly around the park taking HD videos now.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

There is no government that is going to allow individuals to be able to take off, hover, fly off anytime or anywhere of their choosing. 

Um....

The Japanese government is behind flying cars, with the goal of having people zipping around in them by the 2030s.

Among the government-backed endeavors is a huge test course for flying cars

0 ( +1 / -1 )

LB315:

It's the power cord

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Can it hold 200-300 kilograms of payload, the equivalent of 2-4 people with groceries, etc?

No.

If not, it's just a big drone that's less useful than the thing some guy's using to fly around the park taking HD videos now.

Do you think the first prototype car was able to do the things you listed? Are you expecting the first public iteration of the flying in development to already be a commercial good ready for use by the public? Are you of the progression that development shouldn’t be in stages, but rather should be done in one jump with every feature complete?

Or maybe your original question meant to ask if the intention is that flying cars will be able to do the things you’ve listed, in which case the answer is “yes”. They are being developed as an alternative to ground cars.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Humans are still trying to figure out how to drive in a 2D environment...... 3D will only add to the confusion.... 

I am still waiting for the jet-pack I was promised in the 70s.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I am still waiting for the jet-pack I was promised in the 70s.

It just got flown over the channel from France to England.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Yeah...and the Moller Flying Car has been 'any day now' since the seventies.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

juminRhee

Nope it's a tether so it will not fly beyond the testing area.

The power pack is already installed.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Meant as a joke (shout out to the old remote control cars with the power cord attached between remote and car).

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Not as stylish as Pertwee's vehicle, mind.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Considering all the problems around regulating drones I doubt that we will se anything of this type under mass production or adoption before 2060 at the earliest.

Japan doesnt have the R&D budget that big players in the West have; all they can do is copy / change an already existing technology then claim they invented it and use that to boost their GDP. This aint going nowhere in Japan, they will try to sell it abroad.

What they should do is start with an E bike commute course here locally, concentric circles with spoke routes that connect all the way out to Yokohama, and beyond with Tokyo as the hub. Would be a great ride into work, create vendor businesses, and keep folks off the over croweded suicide prone trains.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Franky Zapata announced today that before end of year 2019 a real flying car (120 km autonomy distance, 300 to 400 km/h for transportation, autonomous driving).

In view of his records, no need to say this is not a joke like NEC is showing with drone like lift which has been existing since decades with no future.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

the problem that nobody can solve is the battery capacity. Li ion batteries are very energy dense compared to lead acids or nickel types, but even improved Li ion batteries dont have the range, on ebikes for ex., in series parrallel, the most you can get (affordably) is 20 -30 km. You can build a massive battery but it starts getting heavy. A flying rotary machine like this, you better have lots of range but that added range = weight. Unless the Japanese can invent the carbon battery or other breakthrough...tell me how it will be safe to fly? BTW, The Japanese did not invent the Li ion battery, it was done in the US.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

looks like something somebody could make using 3D printed parts, a micro controller, gyros, and some off the shelf PWM motors, make in their basement. probably somebody on youtube already made it

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Meet George Jetson...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I may have the wrong impression of NEC - but have they actually produced anything that stands out from the Crowd in the Tech World ?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@mmwkdw

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEC

Achievements

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites