In the near future, air taxis, aerial flying vehicles, and drones may be part of our everyday life. This is because air taxis and drones will make for new means of transport routes and mobility. As drones advance towards automation, they will be used for delivery, surveillance, and in the construction sector.
However, to introduce aerial aircraft, this will require built environment of cities to change dramatically. Aerial vehicles and drones will require charging points, landing pads, and drone ports. The introduction of these vehicles could pave in way for new styles of buildings, and result in more sustainable designs.
Civilian Drones find use for Public Service
Meanwhile, civilian drones can differ widely in terms of size and complexity. The features of these vehicles range from high resolution cameras, thermal image technology, and delivery mechanisms to speakers and scanners. In public service, drones find use for disaster response, and for fire service to tackle fires.
In the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, drones find use by the police to enforce lockdown. The ones normally used in agriculture are used to spray disinfectant over cities. In the U.K., trials of drone delivery are taking place to transport medical items to the Isle of Wight.
Besides drones, vertical takeoff and landing craft could also populate our future cities. These vehicles will find use as air taxis and private vehicles.
These aerial vehicles are known to sci-fi fans. The illustrations of late Syd Mead of the Spinner VTOL craft in the movie pictured in Blade Runner recorded the popular imagination. And, in Blade Runner 2049, the illustrations of Spinner provided a thorough design fiction for the experience of piloting these types of vehicles.
Now, with these flying vehicles being a reality, a whole new motorsport is established around them.
