Kitty Hawk has created a quiet and compact electric aircraft, which has been titled, 'Project Heaviside.' Project Heaviside is able to perform much like a plane in flight, however, it is also able to take off and land vertically like a helicopter. The aircraft also makes 100 times less noise than helicopters do.
The Heaviside aircraft is also designed to work with both manual and autonomous control modes, however, the company will need to be approved by regulators before autonomous modes will be permitted.
Due to the aircraft size and quiet flight feature, the company has high hopes for widespread adoption. The Kitty Hawk CEO, SebastiaianThrun, spoke on the aircraft, "The calculus here is that this has to be socially acceptable for people."
Image Credit: Kitty Hawk
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Electric Aircrafts
- Opportunity to disrupt the aviation industry by offering environmentally friendly and quiet aircrafts.
- Vertical Take Off
- Potential for innovation in aircraft design and infrastructure to enable vertical take off capabilities.
- Autonomous Control
- Disruptive potential in the development of autonomous control systems for aircrafts, once regulatory approval is obtained.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Aviation
- The aviation industry can benefit from the development of compact and quiet aircrafts that offer new capabilities.
- Transportation
- Innovation in vertical take off aircrafts can revolutionize transportation by providing more efficient and flexible modes of travel.
- Technology
- Opportunity for technology companies to work on autonomous control systems for aircrafts, paving the way for future advancements in the industry.
