What is Urban Air Mobility

If your commute is getting worse – you’re not alone. According to McKinsey, the typical Los Angeles resident spends more than two full work weeks in traffic every year.

Don’t let the road rage get to you. There’s new hope thanks to technologies that are currently being developed to make it possible to catch a ride to the office above ground.

What it is: Urban air mobility (UAM) is an aviation industry term for on-demand and automated passenger or cargo-carrying air transportation services, typically flown without a pilot.

Why it matters: Traffic is bad and getting worse. These new services will bring new ways for people to travel around cities and urban areas, while reducing congestion.

Why now: NASA has been leading the call for innovation in this category. Following in the footsteps of Unmanned Air Vehicles (drone) technology, they are looking at how to make it safe and scalable. It requires collaboration to work through issues with noise impact, cybersecurity and determining airspace integration with traditional airlines.

What Honeywell is doing: We’re collaborating with Pipistrel to integrate our avionics, navigation flight control systems and connectivity into a future Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) air vehicle to fully support autonomous operations. Chosen as one of Uber’s vehicle development partners, Pipistrel is working on a cost-attractive vehicle.

For more information on what we’re doing in Urban Air Mobility, visit here.