Uber and the US army have announced a joint partnership to research and develop rotor technology as part of Uber's push to develop flying vehicle innovations.
The news comes as Uber also announced the signing of an agreement with NASA for the development of new unmanned traffic management concepts and unmanned aerial systems to enable safe and efficient operations at low altitudes.
Uber Elevate head Eric Allison said the group saw the partnership as critical to research on flying vehicle innovations and the eventual launch of uberAir.
“Uber is proud to be partnering with ARL on critical research on flying vehicle innovations that will help create the world's first urban aviation rideshare network.
“Our first jointly-funded project will help us develop first of its kind rotor technology that will allow for quieter and more efficient travel.
“We see this initial project as the first of many and look forward to continued collaboration with the lab on innovations that will make uberAir a reality.”
UberAir has announced that it wants to begin operating demonstrator flights starting in 2020 and beginning commercial operations in 2023 with Dallas and Los Angeles announced as the first two launch cities.
The company has also revealed that it is looking for an international city to be a third partner with the brand to be part of the uberAir flight launch.
Check out the video below to get an idea of what Uber sees as the future of vehicular travel.