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For ages, many of us have been imagining a future with flying cars, now it finally looks like as if that time has come. While some still have their doubts on whether the flying cars will ever be feasible, there have been major investments in these projects, especially in the taxi market. These investments definitely show that that there is at least potential for flying taxis. An example of the investments made in this particular market is of two German companies, Lilium and Volocopter, who respectively got a second round of funding of almost €95 million and €25 million (The beam, 2017).

You might have heard about the disruption, in the car industry, that was caused by Tesla and Uber. What many might not have thought about is that Tesla and Uber self can be disrupted too. This new concept, of flying taxis or flying drones, could be able to be the game changer when it comes to our future transportation. Both German companies, Lilium and Volocopter, already carried our their first test round.

It was in Dubai where Volocopter supplied the government with the AAT, Autonomous Air Taxi. In the test round, a two-seated drone was flown, designed to transport people autonomously. The drone is powered by electricity, which makes sure that the device is environmental friendly. The prototype is able to achieve a maximum airspeed of 100km/h and has maximum flight time of 30 minutes. Even though they have come a far way already, the aim is to further improve the features on the final version (Ong, 2017).

Lilium also managed to test-flown the “world’s first” electric jet plane that is capable of Vertical take-off and Landing (VTOL), as a helicopter and flies as a normal plane, just not at the same altitude (Shead, 2017). The rotating wings consist of 36 small motors, which means that the electric jet plane is more powerful and more efficient at higher speeds. When it comes to electricity consumption, the jet plane consumes as much as a Tesla S-model does. In addition, because the electric jet plane travels faster it is considered to be more efficient than a Tesla (Morby, 2017).

To sum up, these new technologies and inventions that are taking off, can let us think about what the future may bring us. Will flying transportation be the next commodity? And what about Tesla and Uber once their market gets disrupted, will they cease to exist or will they find a way to survive?

 

Bibliography

Beam, The. (2017) Notable Tech Investors Say Flying Cars Are The Future. https://cleantechnica.com/2017/10/09/notable-tech-investors-say-flying-cars-future/ [Accessed 17 Oct. 2017]

Morby, A. (2017) Electric flying taxi by Lilium successfully completes its first voyage. https://www.dezeen.com/2017/04/21/electric-flying-taxi-aeroplane-lilium-completes-first-voyage/ [Accessed 17 Oct. 2017]

Ong, T. (2017). Dubai starts testing crewless two-person ‘flying taxis. https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/26/16365614/dubai-testing-uncrewed-two-person-flying-taxis-volocopter [Accessed 17 Oct. 2017]

Shead, S. (2017) Deze Duitse startup met een vliegende taxi krijgt $90 miljoen van investeerders. https://www.businessinsider.nl/deze-duitse-startup-met-een-vliegende-taxi-krijgt-90-miljoen-van-investeerders/ [Accessed 17 Oct. 2017]

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One of the things most students have in common, except for the hundreds of hours of studying in the library and the hundreds of parties that we try to go to, it is that (almost) all of us own a bicycle. Easy, fast and especially cheap, but there is one fear that we all share: that when you go back, your bicycle is not there anymore. Yes, stolen again. I think I can speak for most of us, as in the past four years my bicycle got stolen five times and I am on my 6^th bicycle right now, that we do get (very much) tired of it. That is why I got all excited when I heard about the new technology, that may even cause a disruption in the market of bike locks.

 

The solution (our rescue): Bisecu is the first one to introduce the most advanced smart bike lock, finally able to save our bikes from the thieves. Through the platform of Kickstarters they were able to launch their project. Bisecu designed a bicycle smart lock that pairs with your phone via its Bluetooth-enabled app, free from keys, crouching on the floors or button triggered operation. The lock can be integrated with your bicycle, assuring that you do not have to carry your bike lock with you. The lock is attached to your wheel and syncs up to your phone. The mechanism within the lock is then capable to measure the distance between you and the bicycle throughout the strength of the signal. When you walk away, the bicycle is put on Auto lock, preventing the bicycle from moving. Once you are close to your bicycle again, it unlocks automatically. Nevertheless, it is still possible to use the exterior button with a preset password to unlock the device manually, for example if the battery of the device dies or your phone is off.

 

The most exiting news about this new technology is of course the possibility to prevent the thieves from stealing our bicycles. Even though the lock only weights 350g, it is very strong and un-cuttable, making it impossible for the thieves to cut through it. Moreover, if someone happens to tamper with your bicycle, a notification is send to your phone, giving you the opportunity to stop the thieves in the act. In addition, the lock itself will even trigger a 100db alarm.

 

Additionally, the lock system provides different features that, for example the fitness lovers or just the people that enjoy it, can make use of. Due to the three integrated motion sensors, the lock makes use of a smart cycling computer. This gives you the ability to monitor your ride, the speed, the traveled distance and the burned calories.

 

In conclusion, the new smart lock system, Bisecu, can finally be considered as a potential solution for preventing us from having to buy new bicycles all the time (5 times in 4 years). Not to mention, that we do not have to worry about our keys and chains anymore. Bisecu has the potential to change the bike lock game #bikelife.

 

 

(2017). Slim fietsslot sluit automatisch als gebruiker wegloopt. https://www.nu.nl/156323/video/slim-fietsslot-sluit-automatisch-als-gebruiker-wegloopt.html [Accessed 17 Oct. 2017]

(2017). Bisecu: The world’s first fully automatic smart bike lock. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1912383986/bisecu-the-most-advanced-smart-bike-lock [Accessed 17 Oct. 2017]