Israel-Times.com Technology - The flying car - Urban X-Hawk

The figure of 8 design of the body and the reduced lateral forces due to the veins system looks very impressive..as a CGI.




[edit on 16-8-2009 by VitalOverdose]

This is a great concept. Problem is, when can I actually buy one?

These concepts pop up from time-to-time but none seem to take off (excuse the pun) and reach production.

I see at least one problem: what if there is a failure in either of the lifting devices? Is one unit capable of lifing the entire vehicle, or at least capable of providing enough lift to allow a controlled landing in the event of a failure in the other? I see no means to control roll moments... maybe the ducting below the vehicle can independently vector thrust across its cross-section in orter to maintain attitude? Yaw appears to be a function of the rear-facing units so it seems they act as similar units on submersibles do?

Sadly, I don't see anything like this taking hold for a while, though they've been promised since flight was possible. Automobiles will remain the mainstay as long as they have the advantage of safety when the main propulsion device (engine) fails: it isn't going to fall 10000 feet to the ground.

Well a flying car can only be a transitional thing, this is an aircraft full stop. Use this down the main street and we'll all end up with Fan.. blast syndrome, and you know what that's like! Never mind that, how many people are going to get squashed by all electric cars because they never heard them.

[edit on 16-8-2009 by smurfy]

reply to post by smurfy


I totally agree ,there is going to have to be a serious leap in technology before we get to the point of flying cars taking off and landing in the streets like regular vehicles. I cant see it ever happening with anything that manipulates air to get the job done.

The biggest problem with this kind of technologies is that we don`t have a viable way to indicate roads or highways at different altitudes.

People would simply try to fly in a straight line from A to B and I don`t think anyone would like to experience a collision at 300 meters high...

So unless a good system is devised that can indicate roads, highways, intersections and stop lights at any altitude, none of the fly-cars will ever take off imo.

reply to post by abecedarian
I don't think roll would be much of an accidental problem, although i'm not an expert. The intakes at the front would be drawing in air left and right and could be variable independently which might allow stabilty and banking, but maybe you should not need to bank this type of vehicle.



[edit on 7-9-2009 by smurfy]