MIT graduates reach new heights, develop flying cars

MIT graduates reach new heights, develop flying cars!


Tired of getting stuck in endless traffic jams? How about flying to your destination within minutes?
The United States aviation authority has given a go ahead for the commercial production of such a vehicle. And to make this dream come true, graduates of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduates of the MIT Sloan School of Management have devised a two-seater car that can convert from road to air in less than a minute, without the driver leaving the vehicle.
What is interesting to note is that these graduates had a mission to provide innovative solutions to the challenges faced by personal aviation and invested US$10,000 in this new venture. Their business plan was the US$10,000 Business Venture Runner-up in the 2006 MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition. Terrafugia was then incorporated in May 2006, with much of the initial funding coming from CEO and founder Carl Dietrich’s US$30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize.
The vehicle ‘Terrafugia Transition’ has been developed by former NASA engineers and built by Massachusetts-based Terrafugia Inc. According to media reports, the vehicle can travel at speeds of up to 90 mph in car mode with its wings folded.
There are major benefits of this vehicle. According to its manufacturers, the major advantage over ordinary light aircraft is safety, as in the event of stormy weather it can simply drive home instead of either being grounded or flying in unsafe conditions. Another use is that it can take off or land at any public use general aviation airport with at least 2,500 feet of runway.
Hailing this innovation, about 70 people have already booked the car which is expected to cost $194,000 (about Rs 90 lakh). Speaking about the design, a representative from the company told a media organization, “Its unique design allows the Transition to fold its wings and drive on any surface road with a modern personal airplane platform.”
Source Link: http://learnhub.com/news/1272-mit-graduates-reach-new-heights-develop-flying-cars