Flying cars may still be primarily the realm of science fiction despite decades of promises. But autonomous flying car drones may soon be taking to the skies thanks to a new prototype developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The unnamed self-driving/flying drone from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab has been designed to ascertain the best way of getting from point A to B. For example, flying takes up more battery life than driving, so the software in the drones works out which is the most efficient way to get to a destination. In addition, having the choice between flying and driving gives the drone advanced access options, such as the ability to squeeze through tight spaces on the ground to transport objects where flying through the given space isn’t an option.

“The ability to both fly and drive is useful in environments with a lot of barriers, since you can fly over ground obstacles and drive under overhead obstacles,” Ph.D. student Brandon Araki told MIT News Monday. “Normal drones can’t maneuver on the ground at all. A drone with wheels is much more mobile while having only a slight reduction in flying time.”

Based on a Bitcraze Crazefile 2.0 quadcopter, the initial prototype adds two additional motors and a set of wheels to allow the drone to fly and drive. Controlled by an open-source interface, the drone’s modified firmware is designed to fly and drive almost completely autonomously with an owner able to program a list of waypoints for the drone to follow. The software then determines the best route to get to its destination, using the drone’s ability to transition between both modes as it determines that one way is more efficient or the only way to complete its journey.

The prototype was essentially based on a toy drone, but the research behind it shows that there are real-world applications for a commercial drone. Although the driving feature slightly decreased overall battery life, the fact that driving is more efficient than flying means the gain in efficiency would make it ideal for drone delivery platforms.

Photo: MIT