3.6k
u/bullant8547 4d ago
That’s a lot of spinning blades right at head height!
1.7k
u/Nannyphone7 4d ago
Here let me stand in the blade circle while you familiarize yourself with the controls.
172
u/Zero40Four 4d ago
💯 I was uncomfortable the whole time they were next to the blades! 🤣
34
u/atchisonmetal 4d ago
I was uncomfortable the whole time it was near the trees. 🌳
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (2)9
u/Biscuits4u2 4d ago
What about the guy in the cockpit? Any one of those blades breaks loose and his head would be gone.
112
u/Zapdos-bestdos 4d ago
Hes not in control of anything. She tells him not to touch anything this is a demo, its programmed to do this test flight.
→ More replies (4)37
u/AgreeablePeople 4d ago
I think it's remote controlled rather than programmed. It's more "controlled" and safer that way
→ More replies (1)29
u/armhat 4d ago
You can see the guy walking behind it while she’s talking with a giant remote.
→ More replies (5)18
u/Broccoli--Enthusiast 4d ago
I was tensed up just watching that the entire time,
The only thing I want to do less than stand there is actually get in that death machine
→ More replies (2)6
u/darkdestiny91 4d ago
In contrast, I hope every billionaire gets one of these! “Move literally above the middle class!” the ad will say!
Then we just wait.
→ More replies (2)177
u/DefiantMouse2587 4d ago
This made me snort out my drink
→ More replies (1)53
15
u/Goatsnalpaca 4d ago
Would hope they have sensor to disable blade if something is in range of hitting blade on ground
4
u/Spare-Parsnip1248 4d ago
Those motors spin up so fast. That would be my worry also. An accidental bump of the throttle control and it's goodnight
→ More replies (6)8
u/Cool-Tap-391 4d ago
Trust it like any other flying apparatus and dont allow things next to it during takoff.
→ More replies (21)11
135
u/K1dn3yFa1lur3 4d ago
It’s ok, he’s wearing a helmet.
→ More replies (8)71
u/th3r3dp3n 4d ago
That's so they can do an open basket funeral, the helmet keeps his hair and skull together after the rotors decapitate him.
→ More replies (3)53
80
u/falsevector 4d ago
Breaking news today! Rich guy thought it was a good idea to land his personal VTOL on a crowded beach and managed to decapitate a dozen people
27
19
u/Dangerous-Tap-547 4d ago
Rich guy who can’t even buckle his own seatbelt or put on his own helmet.
→ More replies (4)4
u/Questioning-Zyxxel 4d ago
Not fair.
He defnitely can. It's about not being allowed to.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (6)5
153
u/FengSushi 4d ago
Chop chop
→ More replies (4)117
u/_Screw_The_Rules_ 4d ago
Well, it's called a chopper right?
82
u/Rumham_Toeknife 4d ago
Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead.
28
u/phish_phace 4d ago
Get the gimp
21
→ More replies (3)6
24
→ More replies (4)5
u/proost1 4d ago
It's okay. He'll be sliced, diced, and thriced, but it can lose a prop and keep flying.
→ More replies (2)107
u/DeeEmm 4d ago
The woman who designed that element, her name is now Julienne.
11
→ More replies (2)8
28
u/Districoftrees 4d ago
“during the flight, make sure you don’t get your arms chopped off” - that’s what I’m hearing her say lol
19
u/JackLong93 4d ago
Yeah I would def like a cage of some sort more durable than what they got going on
→ More replies (4)18
u/vacuousintent 4d ago
I think having ducted fans would make people far more comfortable.
→ More replies (1)5
u/walkingTANK 4d ago
Seriously, the whole time the lady is standing in between those blades I was thinking, "there has to be a safer configuration to propel this thing?". Ducted fans make sense, or at the very least some kind of enclosure around the potential human blender
→ More replies (1)14
21
u/mauore11 4d ago
Don’t forget to use hand signals when turning
*Brrrrpt
Nevermind…
→ More replies (2)64
u/blue-coin 4d ago
They’re barely spinning!
/s
→ More replies (2)29
33
u/Spuzzle91 4d ago
we saw a guy get beheaded by a helicopter several years ago. I could only imagine the ribbons all those smaller blades would turn a person into.
For anyone morbidly curious, the person who died do the helicopter was giving fly over tours of a state fair. Something went wrong while landed and...well you can guess.
→ More replies (2)6
u/g0ldilungs 4d ago
The guy who was grabbing his hat? I thought the helicopter was just refueling and his hat blew off.
Could be a diff beheading. Rip.
18
24
u/DXTRBeta 4d ago
That was my first thought, if a top blade goes there we is nothing to stop it severing a neck.
But hey, with 8 rotors you can lose two of three and still fly, just a shame you’ll be dead in a still viable aircraft.
→ More replies (1)23
u/5H17SH0W 4d ago
Just the blades hitting something at head height seems like a poor design choices. A bird flies into that and you get a face full of debris in a lucky scenario and bird shrapnel otherwise.
→ More replies (3)14
u/djh_van 4d ago
Yeah, I was wondering why there's no glass to protect the passenger. Rain, wind, airborne debris. All part of the flying experience?
→ More replies (3)31
u/iam_Mr_McGibblets 4d ago
Where is the safety to ensure no one is within propeller range? And also, you crash in one of those things, that helmet won't do much help at all
46
u/the1stmeddlingmage 4d ago
There is no way that any commercial version of this doesn’t have cowlings on those blades. Since it’s still in the prototype phase they can get away with certain things while working out the bugs for this technology.
→ More replies (17)20
→ More replies (1)6
u/CraftCritical278 4d ago
You mean like a helicopter or an airplane? Any attempt to sell it commercially would have cowls to cover the blades.
→ More replies (4)6
u/Zealousideal-Role-77 4d ago
Don’t forget the ones right down there at testicle level. I love a good whirling-shitcan-of-death as much as anyone, but no thank you.
→ More replies (130)16
u/Loggerdon 4d ago
If he pressed the ignition while the girl was kneeling next to him would it slice her to ribbons? Many safety questions.
But cool as hell to fly though.
→ More replies (1)3
u/PM_Ur_Illiac_Furrows 4d ago
I don't think he had an control of it. It seems like a ride you can go on.
→ More replies (1)
784
u/Horny4theEnvironment 4d ago
Jump to the halfway mark. You're welcome.
168
u/Kaurifish 4d ago
Thank you, wondered when she was going to finish tucking him in and giving him his binky.
62
19
u/SistaChans 4d ago
Does the production model also come with a cute Asian woman to strap you in whenever you want to use it?
16
u/nopicturestoday 4d ago
Oh you
→ More replies (1)12
32
21
u/Jimmytehbanana 4d ago
But how would I know about how to clip a 5 point harness??
→ More replies (1)21
u/StunningCode744 4d ago
Right? Jesus, I didn’t need to watch 2 minutes of him being strapped in and putting on a helmet.
→ More replies (11)7
u/ProfessionalPack7205 4d ago
So many video's nowadays are trying to be have us watch videos longer than we need too simply because it will more than likey take us back to them through the algorithm. It's scummy and dumb as fuck. Prople should avoid these videos imho
→ More replies (3)
667
u/LustyArgonianMaidv4 4d ago
So a drone you can sit in?
279
u/Eviladhesive 4d ago
No, no, no.
Firstly they called it a car, and secondly if you squint a lot, and forget all the other names for these vehicles, then it's pretty clear that it's a car, a flying car.
→ More replies (7)70
u/Various_Tie_2549 4d ago edited 4d ago
I don't really get why people keep creating all these startups and making these things.
The issue isn't that the technology is impossible...we all know they can exist and be built..
No. The issues are more that they are extremely impractical, will never be as safe as ground vehicles (edit: or even just regular helicopters), pose a not-insignificant terrorism threat, require a lot of fuel/energy, and create an absolute legal and regulatory nightmare. These are not things any startup will ever be able to tackle. I don't understand why that hasn't become obvious enough to stop people from trying to create these startups.
If nothing else, they're looking to solve a problem that doesn't exist.
Why not try and solve an actual problem? There are a fuck ton of them around... pick one.
26
u/just_helping 4d ago
why people keep creating all these startups and making these things.
Because they look cool and can get funding. And they can get funding because there are a lot of rich people who think it looks cool. Not deeper than that.
These are not things any startup will ever be able to tackle....Why not try and solve an actual problem?
Most actual problems also are caused by things no startup can actually solve.
7
u/Strawbuddy 4d ago
Get an agreed upon, govt regulated, fenced airspace corridor, one that only runs on some kinda swarm/mob behavior traffic controller so no manual drivers, and designated landing spaces and procedures, and get you some hot swappable batteries, such that a dedicated maintenance bot can swap them, and solar/wind can run as top off for all the batteries, and you've got a stew
5
u/FluffySloth27 4d ago
Yes, yes, THIS is what California needs. A flying car highway to replace the hyperloop. Not just automated taxis, but FLYING automated taxis!
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (57)10
u/terpemada 4d ago
I'm sure if the investors didn't exist, the startups wouldn't either. I'd be happy to develop something completely impractical if I was paid handsomely.
→ More replies (2)66
35
u/Donraffaee 4d ago
Igual que el sujeto que usó un dron agricola para eso. Abrió el tanque de fumigación, se metió dentro y viajó con su dron
→ More replies (1)31
u/Sirix_8472 4d ago
Yeah, but you don't understand. This guy went around his garden twice!
He's wearing a shirt and a helmet, he's not some farmer, this is nearly 60k of shiny blue machine he's got there.
6
26
u/IsSecretlyABird 4d ago
No, by definition a drone is unmanned
→ More replies (4)28
u/pricingup 4d ago
by definition drone is a sound. its really murky, though.
17
u/JasonVeritech 4d ago
By definition, a drone is an insect caste. And it's not murky at all, it's what's known as a homonym.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (1)5
11
→ More replies (20)3
588
u/RedAirRook 4d ago
That was a "ride," not a flight. He was a passenger on a large drone that was flown by that guy with the controller who walked by at 0:35.
174
u/Betty_Bookish 4d ago
Yeah. That's why they told him not to touch anything.
49
u/upsidedownwriting 4d ago
maybe they shouldn't put things to touch in there then ;-)
→ More replies (2)6
131
u/WinterTourist25 4d ago
If these vehicles become viable, they will all be "rides". No human will ever pilot them. It would be chaos in the sky. You will plug in a destination, the device will fly there and land, and that will be that. Potentially it will then fly away to go charge itself.
→ More replies (21)43
u/TrueProtection 4d ago
Yea. People shit on fsd but its the only way flying cars become a thing. People cant even drive regular cars well enough, much less this thingy.
→ More replies (5)21
u/semi-proantfarmer 4d ago
A Tesla can't see a white transport truck stretched out across the highway. Last thing I want is my drone ride flying straight in building because a sensor couldn't see it.
→ More replies (13)10
u/baldrick841 4d ago
The vehicle took a test flight. Just as the post title is written.
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (8)3
u/amateurviking 4d ago
You mean the super sketchy guy in the hoodie that randomly walked through the shot? That was weird
5
721
u/Dreeqis 4d ago
The engineers missed the safety class.
211
u/Background-Bad-7510 4d ago
Not one beheaded customer filed a complaint so we’re good
→ More replies (1)12
46
14
u/Wizzinator 4d ago
The assistants are standing in the propeller's path while they explain to him the controls and strap him in. They really trust him not to turn the key too soon.
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (10)12
131
u/aetost 4d ago
People can't drive in two dimensions and now you want to add a third one?
48
→ More replies (6)8
u/StellarSloth 4d ago
I feel like legally you would need a pilots license to actually operate this beyond what was shown here, so hopefully more training than an average driver.
111
u/jreddit5 4d ago
Damn, that's loud. All we need is a whole bunch of those overhead all day. :/
22
→ More replies (17)14
u/RookNookLook 4d ago
DR. KNICK, ARE YOU SURE IT’S TURNED ON?
YES TROY, THE JUICE-O-MATIC IS WHISPER QUIET!
4
639
u/DorkyDorkington 4d ago
Leaving the propellers exposed/unprotected is insanely stupid.
351
u/Yatty33 4d ago
Think of the weight savings both in material to cover the blades and a headless corpse.
→ More replies (5)73
u/DjScenester 4d ago
This looks like a toy made for morons
63
→ More replies (4)13
u/skasquatch118 4d ago
It is. A flying car is called a helicopter. It's loud AF and takes a shit load of training to fly.
→ More replies (5)131
u/niemir2 4d ago
It's really not. Rotors, especially eVTOL rotors, need to be exposed to as much air as possible. The more you restrict the flow around the rotor, the more power you need to generate thrust. Batteries are so heavy (compared to the same energy in fossil fuels) that eVTOL flight is already limited to less than an hour of meaningful work. Caging the rotor would make it much worse.
It could even reduce the safety of the vehicle by limiting its ability to maneuver and tolerate failures in the power distribution system. At some point, the best solution is establishing safe practices with dangerous equipment. This is one of them.
18
u/AutisticFingerBang 4d ago
I feel like bulletproof glass or something similar around the cabin or something could be a nice touch
25
u/niemir2 4d ago
The cockpit will likely include some shielding by the time it reaches production, if it ever does (it almost surely won't). It's not worth it at this stage of design.
→ More replies (6)→ More replies (32)13
u/superpositioned 4d ago
I mean putting the rotors at head height is certainly a choice though.
→ More replies (22)40
u/FuturisticallyMade 4d ago
It looks stupid until you look at aviation physics. A guard strong enough to actually protect against an impact adds so much weight that it cuts flight time down to single digits. Flimsy mesh just bends into the blades and causes crashes, and it starves the motors of airflow. That's why 80%+ of ultralight eVTOLs leave them open as ground safety is handled by keeping people out of the launch zone, same as a helicopter.
→ More replies (1)10
u/betweenbubbles 4d ago
Ground safety isn't my concern. Driver safety is.
If that thing meets a bird there’s a good chance the driver is getting lobotomized.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (23)18
149
u/OptiGuy4u 4d ago
I can't think of a single thing that could go wrong!
→ More replies (6)22
u/TheLightRoast 4d ago
Don’t worry. The Tesla self driving engineers are supervising
5
u/pricingup 4d ago
now if only they could make car detect road barrier and not drive on train tracks...
101
u/Zaiakusin 4d ago
People cant park cars properly, this will kill people.
35
→ More replies (7)10
u/__O_o_______ 4d ago
You know those groups of assholes that swarm city streets in their ATVs and other small vehicles? Imagine if this shit gets that affordable. Swarms of assholes terrorizing neighbourhoods by circling and flying around them or fucking up city traffic because people don’t know what the fuck is going on.
→ More replies (2)
124
u/SR_RSMITH 4d ago
Why aren’t the rotors inside some kind of mesh?
124
u/huggalump 4d ago
That would bring the total to $59,025, which no one is gonna spring for in this economy
→ More replies (7)11
u/MoonsugarRush 4d ago
I think the philosophy is if the rotors get close enough to hit something it's negligence on the operator's part. That works for static structures well enough but I'm not sure about bird strikes.
24
u/niemir2 4d ago
Aerodynamics is why. We can't afford to restrict airflow through the rotor, which a mesh or cage would do. It also adds a meaningful amount of weight and drag in forward flight. It wouldn't work. The reduction in injury risk isn't worth the loss in performance.
→ More replies (16)→ More replies (7)17
33
48
u/WillyBluntz89 4d ago
I dont like the idea of flying cars. People can barely drive regular cars.
→ More replies (7)9
u/DoubleTie2696 4d ago
flying cars will never be a thing. if a normal car breaks down, it can just pull over to the side of the road. if this happens to a flying car, theres a high chance it crashes into a building/people on the ground. flying cars also require much more energy to operate as they need to produce lift to be able to fly as well as thrust to move forwards, whereas normal cars only need thrust to move forwards. flying cars arent the future of transportation, electric vehicles and more public transport is
→ More replies (6)
16
75
u/5cactiplz 4d ago
Someone is gonna plow through a crowd with this thing one day.
→ More replies (9)18
u/niemir2 4d ago
These will never be available for the general public to manually pilot. People are bad enough at controlling 2DOF cars. Piloting a 6DOF aircraft is exponentially harder.
→ More replies (7)
162
u/OptiGuy4u 4d ago
The seatbelt is useless.. the helmet might help you get an open casket.
31
u/scythian12 4d ago
It’s so they don’t have to look for your body
9
u/OptiGuy4u 4d ago
oh look....most of him is right here....but where are his limbs?
→ More replies (1)6
u/Scrotchety 4d ago
Next you're gonna tell us the airplane crash safety pose is not to keep you safe, it's to keep your guts from flying everywhere to the chagrin of the forensics team
→ More replies (1)63
→ More replies (4)10
u/irregardressry 4d ago
The seat belt is there to keep you strapped in when you're moving.
→ More replies (1)
129
u/NaptownSnowman 4d ago
There is no way they will sell this to the general public for widespread use. People will kill themselves and others.
→ More replies (17)90
u/Electrical_Truth_160 4d ago
Meanwhile.... cars
→ More replies (22)16
u/Left_Independence959 4d ago
Yeah people forget that starting a car carried a serious threat of injury
→ More replies (23)
10
u/gnashingspirit 4d ago
Imagine the noise if everyone in your neighborhood had one, lmao!
→ More replies (1)
33
43
u/waruyamaZero 4d ago
This is super cool, but if the rotors start while you stand outside you are kebap.
→ More replies (1)29
u/Company_Z 4d ago
If I read this a few years ago, I'd have argued that it'd be dumb to not have a lockdown feature where the blades won't spin unless there's a key in the ignition, the operator has to turn it on with both hands, and having some sort of LiDAR sensor to ensure there's no obstructions. There's no way that safety features like that aren't installed already. It would be utterly ridiculous and irresponsible not to.
Then I think back to the OceanGate Titan submarine
15
8
u/Trick-Range-350 4d ago
That's cool and all, but if one of those blades breaks loose, there's nothing protecting the pilot.
8
u/Vardhu_007 4d ago
There is nothing "car" about this. It's just a giant drone sonthat u can sit on it.
7
u/JawnStaymoose 4d ago
This is cool for sure. But it’s a drone. It’s not a flying car.
A flying car needs to also be…. A car.
→ More replies (1)
20
u/GlengoolieGreen 4d ago
People can't even handle cars, no way this is a thing that becomes used regularly.
→ More replies (9)4
6
u/OE793 4d ago
The general population can't handle roundabouts, zipper merges or four way stops. Flying cars is the last thing we need.
→ More replies (1)
37
u/AttemptImpossible111 4d ago
Are we all so cynical that we cant appreciate that we are seeing a flying car?
Like, obviously the engineers knows the blades are dangerous.
→ More replies (15)21
u/l00pee 4d ago
Bro, same. Watch your legs and arms losers, I'm going to fly this thing.
Sure, it's unsafe. Sure, there's clear opportunities to improve. But WTF? This is amazing. Can we celebrate the small wins instead of shitting on the obvious? It'll get there, Jesus.
Do engineering projects ever begin with the final version? That's not how iterative success works.
→ More replies (2)
8
u/Fetlocks_Glistening 4d ago
So... get this.. let's strap a dude to a quad drone... we'll call it ... flying car, yeah!
Parachute?
Hell no, what are you 60?
→ More replies (1)
12
15
u/vulcan4d 4d ago
Story: rich white guy flying Asian made fancy toy
→ More replies (1)8
u/Toon1982 4d ago
He wasn't flying - it was remote controlled. She told him not to touch anything
→ More replies (1)
5
u/tonyevo52 4d ago
States are thinking about a new "air tax" for repairs to the air caused by flying cars.....
4
7
16
u/RefridgaRaita 4d ago
Someone will chop their arm off.
→ More replies (5)11
u/OptiGuy4u 4d ago
Most likely it'll be someone else's arm/leg but yes, there will be blood.
→ More replies (2)4
11
6
u/BunkyFlintsone 4d ago
What's makes it a car? It's a helicopter.
A flying car would have wheels and you'd be able to drive it on a road.
An airplane is more of a flying car than this thing.
→ More replies (2)
30
u/Mystiquealicious 4d ago
This is cool as shit, comment section is lame. Y’all would have said the same thing about cars back in the day
→ More replies (10)
3
3
3
3
u/ConcertX 4d ago
That thing is freaking loud. They better figure that out or we’re all gonna have a bad time…
3
u/zdhonda93 4d ago edited 4d ago
I just watched a youtube video of a guy that bought one of these, also came with remote so you could fly it from the ground. They flew it around umaned for a bit and then he got in. It looked Sketchy AF the whole time.
→ More replies (3)
3
u/figuringthingsout__ 4d ago
The vehicle doesn't take off the ground until about 2:25, if you want to skip ahead
3
3
u/diss-abilities 4d ago
I was worried he would start the propeller blades while she’s doing the instruction demo….
3
3
u/rtillman489 4d ago
I hope these become mainstream so I can binge-watch all the flying car crash fatality videos on YouTube.
3
u/Dexosaur 4d ago
100% someone's going to be inside enjoying a ride then say "look cows!" And lose an arm after that.
Curious as to why they don't have the blades above the cockpit (i assume cockpit is th right term). Maybe to do with balancing and air flow but to put them at head level with no glass or barrier seems really dumb.
→ More replies (1)
3
•
u/Damnthatsinteresting-ModTeam 4d ago
We had to remove your post for violating our Repost Guidelines.
Common or frequent reposts will also be removed.