Your future Uber might not roll up on the pavement next to you, but drop out of the sky before driving off.
At least that’s according to latest reports that show the app-ordered taxi company is continuing its pursuit of the flying car by hiring a former NASA engineer to bolster its aviation efforts.
Advanced aircraft engineer, Mark Moore, who has more than 30 years experience working at NASA’s Langley Research Centre, has joined Uber’s ranks to develop ideas he’s previously had around flying cars.
Moore, who’s new role will be as the director of engineering for aviation, will be tasked with working on Uber’s flying car initiative knowns as Uber Elevate. Uber first discussed its flying car plans back in October when it published a whitepaper on the futuristic vehicles.
Moore, who contributed to Uber’s report has, in the past, published his own research into VTOL – vertical takeoff and landing – vehicles.
Announcing the move, Moore stated: “I can’t think of another company in a stronger position to be the leader for this new ecosystem and make the urban electric VTOL market real.”
Nikhil Goel, Uber’s head of product for advanced programs, added: “Uber continues to see its role as an accelerant-catalyst to the entire ecosystem, and we are excited to have Mark joining us to work with manufacturers and stakeholders as we continue to explore the use case described in our whitepaper,”
Although flying cars are Uber’s ultimate goal, don’t expect flying taxis to be populating the skies near you anytime soon.
Instead, Uber has stated it first wants to address issues around flying cars – such as noise pollution and air-traffic restrictions before trying to but cars in the air.
This isn’t the first time Moore has been linked with a tech giant. His past research into VTOL vehicles is widely regarded as having been the driving force behind Google co-founder Larry Page financing two Silicon Valley startups tasked with developing the technology.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
