Safe flight at the push of a button: that’s what today’s designers of urban air mobility vehicles are aiming for.

The second episode of our video series, “What it Takes,” provides an overview of the challenges and opportunities as developers incorporate advanced electronics to make aircraft easier to fly – and eventually, self-flying.

“The name of the game and the success of these vehicles – so that we can all ride it, so that it is not a luxury item – is in automation,” Tine Tomažič, head of research and development at Pipistrel, says in this episode.

Urban air mobility refers to a new breed of aircraft designed for short, point-to-point flights and vertical takeoffs and landings. More than 150 companies are developing prototypes, and they range from drone-like multirotor designs to winged aircraft that can tilt their motors upward for landings. The aircraft will eventually be able to fly without a pilot. But to do that, they must be able to detect and avoid other traffic, navigate through cluttered urban areas, cope with turbulence and bad weather, and handle emergencies safely.

This video is part of a continuing series looking at the technology behind urban air mobility. To produce it, we’ve talked to some of the world’s leading experts in flight computers, sensors, distributed propulsion and other fields.

New videos will roll out throughout the fall of 2019: stay tuned for the latest episodes here.