Passenger drones fly themselves

The deputy mayor of Guangzhou – in China – has been getting firsthand experience of autonomous passenger drone technology.

Wang Dong has helped test the drone, which can take one passenger. It was developed by Guangzhou tech company, EHANG.

“We’ve been developing and testing aerial vehicle technology for some time now, and we’re finally at the test flight stage for the AAV. It’s been a huge success,” said Huazhi Hu, EHANG founder and CEO.

There is no set date for the EHANG 184 series to be a permanent and autonomous fixture in the sky, regulations and further testing will dictate the timescale. But when it does, the system will be controlled with simple click of a button and travel at speeds of up to 130km an hour.

EHANG has also created and tested a two seater, which can carry a 280kg payload.