Traffic jams are a menace in today’s city living. Rush hours would involve long periods of slow progress in clogged highways. It takes a longer time to get to places, while also trapping people in a line filled with heat and noise. Nobody wants to be stuck in a traffic jam, and nobody especially wants to experience it regularly.
Taxi Drone Solution
The idea of flying cars has always been the solution to this traffic problem. People think that if cars can fly, they no longer have to suffer through the daily grind of traffic tolerance. That is one of the main appeals of a taxi drone. These flying vehicles require no drivers since they can fly autonomously from one point to another. The autonomous factor helps with the weight limit problem that most drones face. Without a driver, that frees up space for passengers without making the ride heavier. Lesser weight means more battery life, giving the drone a longer reach in terms of distance traveled.
The Race to the Top
With the appeal of a taxi drone being the next step in transportation evolution, it is only natural for many companies to show interest. From Airbus to Facebook, all want a piece of the pie that comes with having your brand known for future air travel. But the problem is getting there. Several companies and even smaller, individual inventors have staked their claim to have the first ever transport drone.
The problem is that they are far from perfect. To mass-produce one, they would require a perfect (or at least close to one) design. These prototypes have shown flaws, such as a low flight time, weight carrying capacity problems, and flight problems in general.
Back to Traffic
However, if the skies fill up with these transport drones, would we face the same traffic problem? Land transportation face traffic jams because of an overabundance of vehicles. If ever taxi drones become mainstream, and if everyone wants to ride one, would air traffic jams be the next problem to face?
Right now, the skies are clear of constant obstacles for aircrafts. There have been instances of drones nearly colliding with passing planes; however, no actual incident happened so far. It does make a more chaotic scene in the air, since fully loaded airplanes now have to share their space with recreational drones. This causes a sort of a traffic problem, with accidents waiting to happen.
A Mess Waiting to Happen
Of course, these current drone-plane incidents should never happen in the first place. Drone regulations clearly state that recreational drones are not allowed to fly over 400 feet in the air. This is to give airplanes, as well as other aircrafts, free reign over the higher atmosphere. It frees up a lot of space for planes to maneuver, for the safety of everyone on board. Drones are also not allowed to fly within a certain kilometer of an airport, again, to avoid these incidents from happening.
The main reason for the rise of drone incidents worldwide is the rise of drone users. With a few irresponsible owners, everyone who owns one looks bad because of this news. This has led to stricter drone regulations globally, and is still becoming more and more complex as we move forward.
Air Traffic of the Future
So what would happen if air travel becomes the norm for everyday living? If each household had a flying transport, would it not have the same impact as a car traffic jam on your way to work? Would the idea of a transport drone that can host 1-2 people be enough? Or is a flying drone not the solution to the problem we have all been dreading about?
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