Could Toyota Make Flying Cars?

You may have heard that Toyota has a new patent, and it’s something we’ve all been waiting for. The automaker recently got a patent for a flying car. If you’re looking for the cars of tomorrow, you may – or may not – see it sooner than you think.

The Team

There have actually been a few patents granted to Toyota for flying vehicles. We don’t know a lot about the team coming up with these designs, but the patent was granted to Gandhi, et al. The inventors named in the newest patent are Umesh N. Gandhi and Taewoo Nam. It’s likely there will be an entire team of dreamers working with them, however. On a previous flying car patent, Dr. Gandhi worked with Robert Roe. Unfortunately, no one who knows anything more than this is talking about the team designing these vehicles.

The Car

The current patent offers a futuristic look at a basic sedan. The vehicle seems to fly by using a rear-mounted propeller that pushes it forward. This car patent offers a vehicle that can both fly and drive on the road, and according to the patent, uses shape morphing to go between flight and ground. Part of the morph includes a flexible frame and retractable wings. One thing that is unclear is how the car morphs – does it use shape memory material, hydraulics, or something completely unknown? According to the patent, the car is powered by a battery pack, fuel cell, internal combustion turbine, or other similar devices.

The Dream

It’s obvious that Toyota has hired a very talented and highly imaginative team, which offers up dreams in the way of patent applications. This currently approved patent was actually filed with the United States Patent Office in 2014. Many people have been dreaming of flying cars for decades, and these patents filed by Toyota and approved by the patent office give a bit of legitimacy to the idea. In fact, the patent seems to be well thought out, if still a little clunky.

The Reality

Unfortunately, the reality of a truly flying car – while a real possibility in the future – is still likely several years, if not decades, away. There are other auto manufacturers and independent companies working on flying vehicles, as well. There are no known prototypes of the flying car even made yet, pushing that timeline even further. While the ideas are solid, they are not yet as efficient as they would need to be. However, with so many people dreaming of flying cars, and many scientists and inventors actually working toward the goal, it’s likely that this is somewhere in our future.

It’s important to remember that just because the patent was approved doesn’t necessarily mean the car will ever be built. It’s good to see that a large company like Toyota is working toward the future of vehicles, however. With so many great ideas about flying vehicles coming out, it likely isn’t too far in the future until we see a working prototype of one of these vehicles.

Image via Pixabay

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