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'Airtaxi' concept closer to reality as eVTOL aircraft completes test flight across Yangtze River

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      China

      China

      'Airtaxi' concept closer to reality as eVTOL aircraft completes test flight across Yangtze River

      2024-08-02 17:32 Last Updated At:22:57

      The seemingly futuristic concept of "airtaxis" transporting people across cities came closer to reality on Thursday when an unmanned electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft successfully completed a flight across a stretch of the Yangtze River in east China's Nanjing.

      The 25-kilometer test flight lasted around 10 minutes and marked the first time an eVTOL aircraft heavier than one ton has flown across the Yangtze River, China's longest waterway.

      The sleek-looking eVTOL aircraft boasts a wingspan of 15 meters, a fuselage length of 11 meters, and a height of around 3.5 meters. Capable of accommodating up to five passengers, it has a maximum carrying capacity of nearly 500 kilograms.

      It has been developed by a Shanghai-based start-up named AutoFlight, who say that their design could come become a viable and affordable transportation option for tourists or for commuters looking to beat the city traffic.

      "We can offer sightseeing experiences along the Yangtze River and provide air transportation. This would take only one-fifth or even one-tenth of the time that ground transportation takes, and the ticket may be less than six yuan (less than a dollar) after its large-scale application in the future," said Xie Jia, senior vice president of AutoFlight.

      China has identified development of the so-called "low-altitude economy" as a key task for fostering new growth in 2024. The city of Nanjing has been at the forefront of this push, and opened up a civil unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) test zone back in 2020, with over 24,000 test flights taking place there by the end of last year.

      Officials say Thursday's successful trial will give another boost to the fast-developing industry as it continually aspires to hit new heights.

      "This marks a solid step forward for Nanjing City in exploring the low-altitude economy, and a bold rehearsal for the future transportation mode of our city. It is of great significance for expanding low altitude tourism, urban commuting, emergency rescue, logistics distribution and other scenarios in the future," said Shi Shan, Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Pukou Hi-Tech Zone in Nanjing

      China's eVTOL industry grew by 77.3 percent last year to hit 980 million yuan (over 135 million dollars), while its market scale is expected to soar to a staggering 9.5 billion yuan (over 1.3 billion U.S. dollars) by 2026, according to a report released by market research firm CCID Consulting.

      'Airtaxi' concept closer to reality as eVTOL aircraft completes test flight across Yangtze River

      'Airtaxi' concept closer to reality as eVTOL aircraft completes test flight across Yangtze River

      'Airtaxi' concept closer to reality as eVTOL aircraft completes test flight across Yangtze River

      'Airtaxi' concept closer to reality as eVTOL aircraft completes test flight across Yangtze River

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      Robot competition wows public with advancing brain-computer interface technology

      2025-01-21 17:09 Last Updated At:18:37

      The 2024 World Robot Contest Finals, just concluded on Tuesday in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, has captivated visitors with exciting robot battles and groundbreaking technologies.

      The event consists of two major competitions: Brain-Computer Interface or BCI Brain-controlled Robot Competition and Youth Robot Design Competition.

      Running from Jan 16 to 21, the event covers more than 20 major events, 50 minor events and 100 competition groups, providing a broad competitive stage for robot enthusiasts around the world.

      During the six-day event, incredible displays realized by BCI technology, like typing and communicating with mind, have also taken the spotlight at the fair.

      BCI refers to a system allowing a person to control a computer or other electronic device using his or her brainwaves, without requiring any movement or verbal instruction.

      At the competition site, young contestants, wearing portable devices on their heads, silently controlled line-following robots to complete challenge tasks by leveraging their brainwave signals.

      Wu Qin, a referee of the competition, explained that the performance of contestants is determined by their level of concentration during the event, with the data being collected from within the human brain.

      "The BCI device works kind of like a fitness tracker that monitors our heart rate and blood oxygen levels," Wu added.

      Meanwhile, a display and experience area, showcasing various application scenarios of BCI, have attracted crowds of visitors.

      "I just experienced the mood breathing light and visual typing. Both are quite advanced. I haven't come across similar things before. This competition let us learn about these novel devices, and it's great," said a visitor.

      Robot competition wows public with advancing brain-computer interface technology

      Robot competition wows public with advancing brain-computer interface technology

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