Despite their long and checkered history, flying cars, or at least person-sized quadcopters, are getting closer to the market every day. And now, Kitty Hawk, Google co-founder Larry Page’s flying car company, has a vehicle hitting the streets. Or, at least for now, the water.
The Kitty Hawk Flyer, as shown in the somewhat cheesy video above, is a prototype for, essentially, a flying pontoon boat. Entirely electric, and using multiple rotors for lift, the prototype can wing across the water at high speeds before settling into the waves and letting the driver disembark for wine on the marina. Look, we told you the video was cheesy. But the technology is interesting, albeit currently lacking a price, and the car even has a practical use — one can easily see search and rescue teams, lifeguards, and others who need to keep an eye on the water using whole fleets of these vehicles.
Of course, the real dream is to take this out over the land, but that doesn’t appear to be in the cards just yet. Part of the reason this is coming to market is that the FAA classifies it as an “ultralight aircraft,” which doesn’t require a pilot’s license. Presumably Kitty Hawk wanted to get something out there to show its progress, and to be fair, this is a fun little demonstration of its abilities. But we’ll be curious to see just how much further the technology can be pushed.
(Via The Verge)