Human-carrying drone will start tests in Nevada

<p><strong>The first human-carrying drone has the green light to start testing as early as this year.</strong></p> <p><strong>The makers of EHang 184, an autonomous drone, will work with the state of Nevada on product development, flight testing and training.</strong></p> <p><strong>Huazhi Hu, founder and CEO of EHang, called the agreement a &quot;big step&quot; for the Chinese company.</strong></p> <p>&quot;[The partnership] will lay the foundation for its commercialization and building up the aerial transportation ecosystem in the future,&quot; Hu said in a statement.</p> <p>The EHang 184 is a jumbo drone that carries one passenger. There is no pilot -- either on the ground or in the machine.</p> <p>Fliers sit in the drone, tell the drone&#39;s navigation system where they want to go, and it controls the flight path.</p> <p>In the future, if these machines get approved to fly, EHang&#39;s central software system will pre-plot and coordinate all drone flights to avoid potential overlapping paths.</p> <p>Drones are currently largely banned from flying over people not associated with the aircraft. But the FAA is looking at loosening regulations to&nbsp;clear the way for commercial uses of drones, like for delivery and aerial photography.</p> <p>Drones would have to fly 20 feet above people&#39;s heads, and have a 10-foot buffer space on all sides, mostly for safety during take off and landing.</p> <p>The rules are meant to minimize any potential injury to people on the ground should a drone malfunction or an operator lose control. They would apply to drones that weigh more than half a pound and less than 55 pounds, though more powerful drones would be subject to additional rules.</p> <p>Drones like the The EHang 184 will likely need its own set of rules, given that it weighs 440 pounds and can go up to 62 miles an hour.</p> <p>The Nevada Governor&#39;s Office of Economic Development called the partnership with EHang &quot;historic.&quot;</p> <p>&quot;I personally look forward to the day when drone taxis are part of Nevada&#39;s transportation system,&quot; said Tom Wilczek, GOED&#39;s Aerospace and Defense Industry Specialist.</p>