This Self-Driving Car Comes With A Landing Pad For A Drone

 

How would you feel about a drone delivering items to your car – while speeding along a road? That’s the idea behind this concept vehicle, which includes a “landing pad” on the back for a drone to touch down on, even when the car – which is driverless – is moving.

The concept, known as the Σtos, is from Swiss company Rinspeed. The idea is very much just a concept – the company has no plans to put it into production, and will instead simply showcase their idea at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016 in Las Vegas this coming January.

The car would come with a steering wheel that folds away when switched to “driverless” mode, with space for two people in the sleek hybrid vehicle. Of course, though, its defining feature is that “helipad” on the back. “The many benefits this offers are evident,” the company said in a statement.

They suggested that the drone could not only deliver items, but also fly around your car as it moved and take video footage to show to others. “For example, it [the drone] could fetch a bouquet of flowers the driver ordered online and even deliver it directly to the lucky recipient,” the statement added. “It could also take a video of the wild ride on the favorite fun road and stream it live to friends!”

The concept car would also have a retractable steering wheel. Rinspeed.

Aside from the ambitious drone idea and the retractable steering wheel, the car also has two curved screens that move closer to the occupants when the car is in autonomous mode. Rinspeed hasn’t revealed any other details about the car yet, although this may be unveiled at the CES 2016.

Unfortunately, legal and battery issues would probably hamper the car’s ambitious features from becoming reality at the moment. It’s unlikely a drone would have the battery power to catch up to a car, while letting drones fly autonomously is a bit of a controversial area. Nonetheless, it’s a neat idea.

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