Unmanned air-car for rescue missions takes flight

BEIJING－Scientists have developed an intelligent, autonomous vehicle, which can operate both on the ground and in the air, used for deliveries and rescue missions.

Developed by a team from Tsinghua University, the unmanned electric vehicle can switch between ground working mode and flying mode. It has a four-wheel drive system and is equipped with a rotor to enable flight.

The vehicle, with a length of 1 meter and a height and width of 60 centimeters, can conduct three-dimensional path planning and can realize the functions of vertical takeoff and landing, spatial planning, hovering in the air and flight obstacle avoidance, according to the team.

With a real-time perception module, the vehicle can recognize different types of obstacles or terrain. When it encounters obstacles or terrain that cannot be bypassed on the ground, it can switch to flying mode and seek a more suitable area for driving on the ground. The efficient and smooth switch of working modes will help improve the efficiency of transportation.

The vehicle has been tested in both an urban environment and mountainous areas with complex terrain.

It can be used for delivering goods and for rescue missions and can be integrated into intelligent transportation systems in smart cities.

Xinhua