Aerodyne to launch prototype of air mobility vehicle by year end

Petaling Jaya (Urban Transport News): The Malaysian company Aerodyne is developing a prototype of the air mobility vehicle which is expected to be ready by the end of this year. According to Kamarul Muhamed, CEO of the Aerodyne, the prototype would cost in the region of RM500,000 and that all the funding for it would be borne by them. "We take this is a challenge. This is a good opportunity for Malaysia to be a player in the industry. To me, this is the future, and I want to be part of it," he said. He said that he was aware of the chatter on social media regarding this, but it was part of the process to educate the public who are not familiar with it. According to him, the Vector, as the flying vehicle is known, would weigh 600 kg, including a load of 200 kg. The load would be interchangeable between cargo delivery, emergency response, and passenger. A team of eight aerospace and mechanical engineers from the company were working on the prototype project. He further said that they were in collaboration with a Japanese company that had been developing their own air mobility vehicle. However, the prototype would not be a rehash of technology from outside of Malaysia. "You can't call it Malaysian technology if you bring something from outside the country. If Malaysia doesn't do this, we will miss the boat. It is the future, and the future is very near," he said. The prototype vehicle would be based on drone technology. He said that there were several companies worldwide, such as Airbus, Uber, Lillium, Roll-Royce, and Skydrive that were developing their own technology, with some already testing their platform for the past two years. He said that currently, 50 cities around the world were pioneering urban air mobility programmes. There were many challenges in making air mobility a reality, as there were four components – technology, regulation, acceptance, and the service provision. Aerodyne is a global player in the drone services industry and is ranked seventh in the world by the Drone Industry Insights. Started in 2014 with three people, it now employs about 280 people in 24 countries around the world.