Uber and NASA have unveiled a partnership that will see the two companies work together to create the software that will power these innovative new vehicles.
Acting in much the same was as conventional air traffic control systems, it would allow UberAir pilots safe routes throughout what would be very crowded airspace.
For Uber, the focus has been on creating electric aircraft that can travel short distances at high speeds without causing any unwanted noise disturbance to the public below.
Earlier this year the company unveiled Uber Elevate, a project that would be focused on this very design.
The company has already started employing ex-NASA engineers to help it create a working prototype and has even claimed that it plans to start high speed test flights over Los Angeles in 2020 alongside Dubai and Fort Worth.
While this partnership might make it sound like Uber is monopolising the industry the simple fact is that it’s going to have to work with its rivals to get the project off the ground.
With aircraft manufacturers like Airbus planning their own test flights the skies are going to get very crowded and sooner than you might think.
Taking this into account the software will need to be universally available or at least compatible with competitors and will need to take into account the already busy airspace that’s in place.
By working with NASA, Uber is hoping to avoid the same regulatory minefield that it has been trying to pass through in various countries around the globe
For Uber though, flying taxis aren’t just a buzzword to throw around, they’re potentially the future of transport.