The once fanciful concept of flying cars appears to be a step closer to reality, after a German company completed successful test flights of a “flying taxi”.

Munich-based Lilium backed by investors who include Skype co-founder Niklas Zennström, said the planned five-seater jet, which will be capable of vertical take-off and landing, could be used for urban air-taxi and ride-sharing services.

In flight tests, a two-seat prototype executed manoeuvres that included a mid-air transition from hover mode, like a drone, to wing-borne flight, like a conventional aircraft, Lilium said.

Potential competitors to Lilium Jet include much bigger players such as Airbus, the maker of commercial airliners and helicopters that aims to test a prototype self-piloted, single-seat “flying car” later in 2017.

But makers of “flying cars” still face hurdles, including convincing regulators and the public that their products can be used safely. Governments are still grappling with regulations for drones and driverless cars.

Lilium said its jet, with a range of 190 miles and cruising speed of 186mph, is the only electric aircraft capable of both vertical take-off and jet-powered flight.

The jet, whose power consumption is comparable to an electric car, could offer passenger flights at prices comparable to normal taxis but with speeds five times faster, Lilium said.

Other potential rivals include the crowd-funded e-volo, a firm based near Mannheim that has said it expects to receive special regulatory approval for its two-seat “multicopter” with 18 rotors to be used as flying taxis in pilot projects by 2018.

Terrafugia, based outside the US city of Boston and founded 11 years ago by MIT graduates, aims to build a mass-market flying car, while the US-Israeli firm Joby Aviation has said it is working on a four-seater drone.

Google, Tesla and Uber have also reportedly shown interest in the new technology.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/apr/21/electric-flying-car-lilium-google-uber-vtol-jet-taxi

May 04

Ultra-cool dwarf stars may live up to their name.

Posted on May 4, 2017 by Mike Reeves-McMillan

Originally shared by Singularity Hub

Dwarf Planetary Systems Will Transform the Hunt for Alien Life http://suhub.co/2p9XIim

May 02

Big changes are coming.

Posted on May 2, 2017 by Mike Reeves-McMillan

Big changes are coming. We’re not ready for them, we may not like them, and many of our most powerful institutions are actively but ineffectually resisting them, but the outcome could be wonderful.

(Warning: fixed-size font, unsuitable for people with visual impairment.)

Originally shared by Jennifer Ouellette

History gives us some perspective. The Day Before the Renaissance. The only antidote for 100-days mania and 24-hour news cycles is to shift focus from the urgent to the important. “An epochal change is coming, a transformational tsunami is on the horizon, and most of our leaders and many of us have our backs to it. We’re looking in the wrong direction. Indeed, many of those in positions of power and their supporters are so actively trying to cling to the past we can almost hear their fingernails clawing at the earth as they try to avoid accepting the inevitable and momentous changes to come.” http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/05/01/the-day-before-the-renaissance/

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/05/01/the-day-before-the-renaissance/