Airbus unveils its self flying 'Uber air' taxi: Vahana set to take to the skies by 2020 and can be summoned by smartphone

• Airbus is creating flying taxis called CityAirbus, and an autonomous helicopter under Project Vahana
• Aerospace group says passengers will be able to summon self-piloting flying taxi on their smartphone
• Prototype testing will begin in 2017 and Airbus hopes to have a model for sale on the market by 2020
• It seat one person under a canopy that retracts like a motorcycle helmet visor and operates like a helicopter

Sitting in bumper to bumper traffic during rush hour could soon be a thing of the past.
Airbus is working on a fleet of air taxis with the hopes of relieving urban congestion and the firm has unveiled its first conceptual renderings.
Called Vahana, this sleek self-flying aircraft seats one passenger under a canopy that retracts similar to a motorcycle helmet visor and the vehicle is designed to operate like a helicopter.

Airbus has been working on a fleet of air taxis with the hopes of relieving urban congestion and the firm has unveiled its first conceptual renderings. Called Vahana, this sleek self-flying aircraft seats one passenger under a canopy that retracts similar to a motorcycle helmet visor and is summoned like an Uber

Project Vahana began earlier this year and is one of the first projects at A³, the advanced projects and partnerships outpost of Airbus Group in Silicon Valley.
‘At Vahana, we are passionate about personal flight. The aircraft we’re building doesn’t need a runway, is self-piloted, and can automatically detect and avoid obstacles and other aircraft,’ A³ chief executive Rodin Lyasoff wrote on the Vahana website.
‘Designed to carry a single passenger or cargo, we’re aiming to make it the first certified passenger aircraft without a pilot.’
The conceptual renders suggest that the air taxis will take off and land vertically, as there are helicopter-like struts, and tilting wings each with four electric motors, reports CNN Money.
And there is space for one passenger, who will sit under a canopy that retracts like a motorcycle helmet visor.
The team at Vahana aims to have a full-sized prototype in the air by the end of 2017 and a model for sale on the market by 2020.
Airbus noted last year that one of Vahana's first projects will be working with Uber to create a new business model for helicopter operators.
The French firm first announced plans for its flying taxis in August, which they said will be CityAirbus and passengers will be able summon these vehicles with their smartphone.
Airbus said that the biggest challenge in creating the CityAirbus taxi, will be making it fly autonomously.
The taxi will first be operated by a pilot, but will become self-driving once national regulations allow it.

MEET VAHANA  
Project Vahana began earlier this year and is one of the first projects at A³, the advanced projects and partnerships outpost of Airbus Group in Silicon Valley.
The first conceptual renders have been revealed showing a sleek self-flying aircraft with room for one passenger who sits under a canopy that retracts similar to a motorcycle helmet visor.
Its also believed that the air taxis will take off and land vertically, as there are helicopter-like struts, and tilting wings each with four electric motors.
The team at Vahana aims to have a full-sized prototype in the air by the end of 2017 and a model on the market for sale by 2020.

'Many of the technologies needed, such as batteries, motors and avionics are most of the way there,' Rodin Lyasoff, the Airbus executive in charge of the project, said.
This is just starting to be introduced in cars, but no examples of it for aircraft currently exist.


Project Vahana began earlier this year and is one of the first projects at A³, the advanced projects and partnerships outpost of Airbus Group in Silicon Valley. There is space for one passenger, who will sit under a canopy that retracts like a motorcycle helmet visor

AIRBUS' PROJECT CITYAIRBUS: SELF-FLYING TAXIS THAT ARE SUMMONED LIKE UBERS
Airbus is designing a fleet of self-flying taxis called CityAirbus.
The taxis will first be operated by a pilot, but will fly themselves once national regulations allow it.
As well as flying taxis, Airbus is also creating an electric, autonomous helicopter in a project called Project Vahana.
The idea is that the helicopter can be used for both commercial and personal use.
In February, Airbus also announced a new project called 'Skyways' in which they are creating a parcel-delivery system above the University of Singapore campus.
Airbus hopes to conduct its first flight tests on the University of Singapore campus by 2017.

'That's one of the bigger challenges we aim to resolve as early as possible,' said Lyasoff.
The company thinks one way it could work would be for group vehicles, similar to car-sharing.
'We believe that global demand for this category of aircraft can support fleets of millions of vehicles worldwide,' Lyasoff said.
'In as little as ten years, we could have products on the market that revolutionise urban travel for millions of people.'

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The conceptual renders suggest that the air taxis will take off and land vertically, as there are helicopter-like struts, and tilting wings each with four electric motors

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The team at Vahana aims to have a full-sized prototype in the air by the end of 2017 and a model for sale on the market by 2020. Airbus noted last year that one of Vahana's first projects will be working with Uber to create a new business model for helicopter operators

Officially underway since February, the project’s team of internal and external developers and partners have agreed on a vehicle design and is beginning to build and test vehicle subsystems.

As well as flying taxis, Airbus is also creating an electric, autonomous helicopter in a plan called Project Vahana.

The idea is that the helicopter can be used for both commercial and personal use.

Airbus hopes to conduct its first flight tests on the University of Singapore campus by 2017.

Rodin Lyasoff, Airbus' lead engineer on Project Vahana, said: 'Many of the technologies needed, such as batteries, motors and avionics are most of the way there.'

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Traffic during rush-hour can be a nightmare for commuters today, and with 60 per cent of the world's population expected to live in cities by 2030, the problem is only going to grow. The French firm first announced plans for its flying taxis in August, which they said will be CityAirbus and passengers will be able summon these vehicles with their smartphone

While it might currently seem like something out of a science fiction film, Airbus CEO, Tom Enders, said: 'It's not crazy to imagine that one day our big cities will have flying cars making their way along roads in the sky.

'In a not too distant future, we'll use our smartphones to book a fully automated flying taxi that will land outside our front door – without any pilot.'

In February, Airbus also announced a new project called 'Skyways' in which they are creating a drone parcel-delivery system above the University of Singapore campus. 

The team hopes by demonstrating the safe operation of Skyways, this could help shape the regulatory framework for unmanned aircraft system operations, and potentially increase acceptance for passenger flight testing.

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In February, Airbus also announced a new project called 'Skyways' in which they are creating a parcel-delivery system above the University of Singapore campus. As well as flying taxis, Airbus is also creating an electric, autonomous helicopter in a plan called Project Vahana. The idea is that the helicopter can be used for both commercial and personal use

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Bangkok in Thailand is one of many cities which is notorious for huge traffic jams and delays getting from one place to another. However, by 2030, the population of Bangkok is set to hit 11.5 million which will further increase congestion. Airbus hopes to conduct its first flight tests on the University of Singapore campus by 2017

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The idea of flying taxis brings to mind, The Jetsons, who live in a futuristic utopia in the year 2062, filled with elaborate robotic contraptions, aliens, holograms, and whimsical inventions like their flying car (pictured)

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How many times a day do YOU shout at your PC? Researchers say the average American suffers 40,000 bouts of 'tech rage' over their lifetime

• Americans will experience 40,800 technology malfunctions in a lifetime
• A new study finds these issues can cause 'tech rage' and 'tech stress'
• Many have reported physical alignments brought on by this stress 
• Experts say working out is the best way to combat the rage and stress

Weak Wi-Fi connections, a slow computer and an office printer that doesn't work properly are enough to make anyone's blood boil with 'tech rage'.

A new study reveals millions of Americans experience at least two types of technology malfunctions a day and 40,800 over their lifetime - and these breakdowns are having a huge effect on stress levels.

However, experts have found that working out, such as walking, is a simple solution to calm your nerves.

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A new study reveals that millions of Americans experience at least two types of technology malfunctions a day and 40,800 in their lifetime - and these breakdowns have been found to increase stress levels

'TECH RAGE' IN NUMBERS 

A new study reveals that millions of Americans experience at least two types of technology malfunctions a day and will put up with at least 40,800 in their lifetime. 

A team from 24 Hour fitness surveyed 2,000 Americans to understand just big of an effect technology malfunctions can have. 

One in seven Americans have thrown their phone across the room in frustration after it failed to function properly.

Half of the 2,000 individuals in the study reported they have also yelled at a piece of technology and 16 percent have been reduced to tears.

Four in ten adults report stiff necks brought on by stress, one in four are plagued by achy joints and muscles and over a quarter suffer from stress-induced migraines. 

The idea of 'tech rage' may sound like an imaginary emotion, but many people have experienced this phenomenon firsthand.

In April 2015, a man from Colorado Springs, Colorado carried his computer into an alley and shot it eight times with a handgun after a long battle with the uncooperative machine.

Authorities said Lucas Hinch, 37, was cited for discharging a fireman within city limits.

'Investigation revealed a resident was fed up with fighting his computer for the last several months,' said the statement, entitled 'Man Kills His Computer.' 

Although Hinch's bout sounds a bit more extreme than most, a study conducted by 24 Hour Fitness reveals that 65 percent of US adults say the regularly are overcome with fury as a result of unreliable technology.

Other than faulty devices, slow downloads, pop-ups and logging in or password problems have also been found to trigger fits of rage.

A team from 24 Hour fitness surveyed 2,000 Americans to understand just big of an effect technology malfunctions can have – and many reported it's that devices have a mind of their own that increases stress levels.

Restarting by themselves or not charging properly were issues found to take a toll on people's wellbeing.

And one in seven Americans has even thrown their phone across the room in frustration after it failed to function properly.

Half of the 2,000 individuals in the study reported they have also yelled at a piece of technology and 16 percent have been reduced to tears.

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A team from 24 Hour fitness surveyed 2,000 Americans to understand just big of an effect technology malfunctions can have. Many have reported physical alignments brought on by the stress of technology breakdowns

A fifth reported arguing with partners because of technology fail and a third have been sent into stress-filled frustrations if they experienced a disturbance while streaming a movie.

What appears to be even more alarming is that stress from technology breakdown is found to have a physical effect.

Four in ten adults report stiff necks brought on by stress, one in four are plagued by achy joints and muscles and over a quarter suffer from stress-induced migraines.

TOO MUCH TECHNOLOGY IS BAD FOR YOUR MEMORY 

Scientists say that research is urgently needed into the long-term consequences of relying on gadgets rather than our brains. 

Evan Risko, a professor of cognitive psychology at the University of Waterloo, warned: ‘If you are allowed to store some to-be-remembered information on a computer, chances are you won’t devote cognitive real estate to remembering it.

‘As a result, your ability to remember that information without the computer will likely be reduced.

‘There’s little doubt that these new technologies are affecting what we remember.’

 Studies on sat-nav use have found that while they helped motorists on their journey, they affected memory.

The drivers remembered less about what they have seen along the way – and struggled to retrace the route when asked to drive it again without the aid of the sat-nav. 

Another study found that museum-goers given digital cameras remembered objects they had photographed less well than other exhibits. 

Other research suggests that the vast amounts of information available on Google may fool us into thinking we are smarter than we actually are.

However, many of these individuals felt the need to battle stress with gym workouts, yoga and getting extra rest – remedies experts say are among the best.

'Fitness goals are about more than exercise. At 24 Hour Fitness, we believe the time you spend in the gym helps make the life you lead outside the best it can be, and that includes helping you deal with the daily stress of technology breakdown,' said Mike Carney, vice president, marketing, 24 Hour Fitness.

The survey revealed that most vulnerable place for tech stress is in work environments.

More than half of those polled said tech stress often strikes when they are up against the clock on a deadline, or need things done fast.

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The survey also reveals that 31 percent of people have found the secret weapon to beat the stress - working out. The most popular methods to reduce stress were found to be walking or listening to music

One in seven has missed an important work deadline because technology failed them.

The research also examined the link between stress levels and exercise/movement, and found that more than 70 percent of people feel their job doesn't allow them to move around enough during the day.

However, the survey also reveals that 31 percent of people have found the secret weapon to beat the stress - working out.

The most popular methods to reduce stress were found to be walking or listening to music.

And 57 percent feel a mental boost from working out, whereas found in ten experience emotional benefits.

The 'workout effect' as a solution to combat tech stress that lasts for over four hours, according to experts at 24 Hour fitness.

'Science has proven how important a healthy lifestyle is, not only for disease prevention, but also in dealing with the many stressors of daily life,' said Carney.

'When you practice theses skills, you become better prepared for enjoying daily life and managing annoying and more serious life stressors.' 

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Seven Milky Way worlds could harbour life, say astronomers (after just a year of hunting)

• Habitable Exoplanets Catalog says first year has exceeded expectations 
• It was launched in December 2011 with just two entries in its database 
• Finds expected to accelerate as methods become more sophisticated

Seven planets in the Milky Way outside our solar system could potentially harbour life, researchers from an ambitious project to catalogue all habitable worlds have announced.

The Habitable Exoplanets Catalog (HEC) celebrated its first anniversary with the announcement that it had exceeded expectations in its search for possible new Earths.

Lead researcher Abel Mendez, director of the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo's Planetary Habitability Laboratory, said the team had hoped to add perhaps one or two planets in the project's first year.

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'Xmas Planets': A collage of computer generated images of possibly habitable worlds made to celebrate the first year of the Planetary Habitability Laboratory's Habitable Exoplanets Catalog. Earth is at the top right

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Image Gallery: NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover

Like life, space exploration can be a process of two steps forward, one step back -- except on a cosmic scale. Mars missions, all unmanned, have had mixed success since the U.S. probe Mariner 4 made the first successful fly-by of the planet in 1965. More Mars-bound spacecraft from the U.S., the Soviet Union, Japan and the European Space Agency have failed than succeeded. But the twin Mars Expeditionary Rovers called Spirit and Opportunity performed well beyond scientists' expectations after landing in January 2004. Their discoveries included firm proof that water has existed on Mars. The next leap forward in Mars research is the Mars Science Laboratory, shown here in an artist's rendering. The rover, named Curiosity, was launched atop an Atlas V rocket on November 26, 2011 and is scheduled to begin its work on Mars when it lands there in August of 2012. It is 10 feet (3 m) long, 9 feet (2.7 m) wide and 7 feet (2.1 m) tall. The rover's mission? To search for signs the planet could -- or did -- support life. In this gallery, we'll take a look at the Curiosity mission's buildup and examine some of the stuff that will be used after its landing on Mars. In the next photo, see who won NASA's rover naming contest.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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The Internet Changes Wednesday, But Most People Won’t Notice

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With IP addresses now depleted, the Internet Society is leading the launch of IPv6 to allow the web to continue growing.

Without adopting IPv6, people surfing the web will have to go through a transitional gateway before entering a non-updated site using IPv4, making the experience slower. On launch day Wednesday, website owners are encouraged to permanently enable IPv6 — the next generation of Internet protocol.

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Forget touch screens ... Touch everything! Disney (the masters of bringing objects to life) unveils new technology that can turn ANYTHING into a button

• Any material - from bedknobs to broomsticks, and even water - can be become gesture-sensitive
• Technology is similar to smartphone screens - but can create 3D 'map' of touch inputs
• Sofas could become TV remotes, clothes could become mp3 controllers, doors could be 'password-protected' by gesture

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Researchers Develop Wireless Heart Pump System

The wireless mechanical pump system  (Source: University of Washington)

The development of a wireless system allows the patient to use mechanical pumps over a long period of time without worrying about infections in the stomach from cords

Joshua Smith, study leader and a University of Washington associate professor of computer science and electrical engineering, along with Dr. Pramod Bonde, a heart surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and a team of researchers, have created a wireless mechanical pump that could improve a heart patient's quality of life.

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Winners 2012 Skyscraper Competition

eVolo Magazine is pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 Skyscraper Competition. Established in 2006, the annual Skyscraper Competition recognizes outstanding ideas that redefine skyscraper design through the use of new technologies, materials, programs, aesthetics, and spatial organizations, along with studies on globalization, flexibility, adaptability, and the digital revolution. This is also an investigation on the public and private space and the role of the individual and the collective in the creation of a dynamic and adaptive vertical community. The award seeks to discover young talent, whose ideas will change the way we understand architecture and its relationship with the natural and built environments.

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Google Gets Transparent With Glass, Its Augmented Reality Project

Larry Page and Sergey Brin have long had the dream of a hands-free, mobile Google, where search was a seamless process as you moved around the world. As the years progressed the vision did, too, expanding beyond search to persistent connections with the people in your lives.

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Just like the chocolate bar, the Milky Way galaxy is 'full of bubbles' - public help Nasa pinpoint strange spheres in our galactic home

Just like the fluffy nougat in the chocolate bar, the Milky Way galaxy is full of bubbles, a new survey by 'citizen scientists' has found.

More than 35,000 astronomy fans sifted through data from the Spitzer space telescope, and found bubbles in space - blown out by young, hot stars into the gas and dust around them.

Volunteers for the project are shown a small section of Spitzer's huge infrared Milky Way image (left), which they then scan for cosmic bubbles. Using a sophisticated drawing tool, the volunteers trace the shape and thickness of the bubbles. All the user drawings can be overlaid on top of one another to form a so-called 'heat map' (middle). Features that have been identified repeatedly by many different users jump out, revealing the overall pattern of bubbles in this part of the galaxy

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WHAT'S TAKING E.T. SO LONG TO FIND US?

E.T. would have had plenty of time to reach us by now.
Are we just being ignored?

• Alien civilizations starting from the oldest stars in the galaxy would have had more than enough time to reach Earth.
• Calculations show either we are alone in the galaxy, or ET is ignoring us.
• The study did not address life beyond the Milky Way.

Mathematically speaking, ET would have found us by now -- if he exists -- so we’re being consciously avoided for some reason, a new study concludes.

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2057: The City of the Future

What would you see and experience if the clocks rolled forward 50 years? In a unique blend of drama and science, this three-part series shows you the world of tomorrow. Will we have flying cars? Will advances in medicine help us stay young forever? What about “printing” custom-made vital organs? What will our cities look like? What will tomorrow’s wars be about? Will we have robots helping around the house? Will solar power be the new oil?

Supported by the world’s leading scientists and research institutes, we embark on a quest to answer some of society’s most fundamental questions and reveal the dramas of tomorrow’s world along the way. State-of-the-art computer graphics in combination with a dynamic story line will create a world usually only seen in feature films, but with the accuracy and relevance of a documentary. This series is all about opening the window of our future based on science fact, not science fiction.
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Through the Wormhole: What Do Aliens Look Like?

Science fiction writers have always had their little green men. But these humanoid aliens were based soundly on Earth-based life, not any extra terrestrial evidence.

Today, we’ve discovered hundreds of planets around other stars. As we learn what some of these alternative Earths might look like, science and imagination have allowed us to use real science to imagine the biology of their inhabitants.

Will they have two eyes? Two legs? What color will their skin be? Which species on Earth can give us clues about likely biology of aliens?

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Astronomers See More Planets Than Stars in Galaxy

WASHINGTON (AP) — The more astronomers look for other worlds, the more they find that it's a crowded and crazy cosmos. They think planets easily outnumber stars in our galaxy and they're even finding them in the strangest of places. And they've only begun to count.

Three studies released Wednesday, in the journal Nature and at the American Astronomical Society's conference in Austin, Texas, demonstrate an extrasolar real estate boom. One study shows that in our Milky Way, most stars have planets. And since there are a lot of stars in our galaxy — about 100 billion — that means a lot of planets.

"We're finding an exciting potpourri of things we didn't even think could exist," said Harvard University astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger, including planets that mirror "Star Wars" Luke Skywalker's home planet with twin suns and a mini-star system with a dwarf sun and shrunken planets.

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Toshiba to ship glasses-free 3D TV to U.S. in early 2012

Toshiba has confirmed to CNET that it plans to make a glasses-free 3D TV available to buyers in the U.S. sometime during the first quarter of 2012.

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Prometheus (8 June 2012)

A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.

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SpaceX's Future Rocket System Will Guide Itself Home, Land Gently on the Launchpad

Touching Down Gently SpaceX

Commercial spaceflight venture SpaceX has been talking for a while now about reusing every part of its space launch system, from the optionally manned Dragon capsule (which is already reusable) to the rocket stages that it discards on its way to orbit. Via a new animation, the private space enterprise is showing exactly how this would happen, not via splashdown and recovery at sea like you might be thinking, but by vertically landing back at the launch site under their own power.

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New astronomy software creates the first accurate visions of other worlds - including what Earth looked like 240 million years ago

Astrobiologist Abel Mendez of the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo has designed a software package that can draw real-looking worlds based on the scientific data we receive from space telescopes  - and says Nasa gets it wrong. 

Mendez's software package draws planets based on their size, distance from their parent star and chemistry - and can create 3D images that correspond to the data.

The imagery sent out when missions such as Nasa's Kepler telescope find 'exoplanets' - planets outside our solar system - is still imagined by artists. Mendez claims that his approach is more scientific.

A warm, earthlike planet orbiting a red dwarf star. Mendez's software lets astronomers enter the data they know about a planet and then constructs a vision of what it might look like

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Babylon A.D.

In the darkly futuristic world of Babylon A.D., the rules are simple: kill or be killed. Hard-hitting action superstar Vin Diesel stars as Toorop, a ruthless mercenary hired to smuggle a mysterious young woman from the post-apocalyptic confines of Eastern Europe to the glittering megalopolis of New York City.
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“Painless” Plasma Brush Is Becoming Realistic In Dentistry

“Painless ” Plasma Brush Is Becoming Realistic In Dentistry, MU Engineers Say from
 MU News Bureau on Vimeo.

University of Missouri (MU) engineers and their research collaborators at Nanova, Inc. are one step closer to a painless way to replace fillings. After favorable results in the lab , human clinical trials are underway on the “plasma brush.”

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