Discover more about the topics and technologies that were discussed at the 2019 conference, via a series of exclusive interviews with a selection of our expert speakers.
Dr Anita Sengupta, chief product officer/co-founder, Airspace Experience Technologies (ASX), USA talks about how autonomous air taxis are coming to an airspace near you.
What is your presentation about?
I will present how space-age tech coupled with the VC-funded innovation environment is enabling a revolution in sustainable aviation. I will review how autonomous VTOL air taxis are an enabling technology for urban transport in the smart cities of the future. I will also discuss the design and testing of the Mobi-One, an electric tilt-wing VTOL aircraft being developed at the company I co-founded, Airspace Experience Technologies (ASX). From the utilization of airspace, to infrastructure, to air traffic control, I will talk about the urban air mobility (UAM) revolution coming to a city near you.
How do you see the mobility revolution changing transportation in the next 10 years? How will autonomous VTOL air taxis play a part?
I see an end to the individual personal car and a shift to shared, emission-free transportation options. I see long-distance group travel with the emission-free hyperloop. I see eVTOL UAM supporting shared ride services in distributed cities and connecting suburban and rural communities. I see electric aviation, first with UAM kickstarting a sustainable aviation evolution.
What technology still needs to be developed in order for electric tilt-wing VTOL aircraft to become a reality?
High-energy-density batteries for starters, with hydrogen fuel cells for regional jet aircraft following close behind.
Is government regulation needed (for the technology, air traffic control, etc)? Would regulation be a help or a hindrance?
Regulation developed hand in hand with new technology ensures that we have safe, reliable transportation and useful solutions for public transport. We all have a part to play, the public and private sector, ensuring technology is developed to reduce our carbon footprint safely and efficiently.
Do you think people will be willing to use autonomous air taxis? Many people are hesitant to get into autonomous cars; won’t flying be more of a safety concern? How will you handle this?
I think UAM will of course start with pilots in the loop. Safety is the most important thing we must consider as engineers, as leaders, and as citizens.
Don’t miss Dr Anita Sengupta, chief product officer and co-founder of Airspace Experience Technologies, who will be giving a presentation titled Urban air mobility revolution with ASX on December 10 at 10:20hrs as part of Stream 1: Urban and Inter-Urban eVTOL Air Mobility. The full conference program can be found here. Register for your conference pass here.
