• News

CES 2018: Bell Reveals Their Air Taxi Concept

The Lyfts and Ubers of the future may be taking people to the skies.

Blake Morse

January 10, 2018 12:24 PM

1

Bell Helicopter may soon be making the sci-fi dream of flying cars a reality if their latest project is to be believed. This week at CES 2018 they revealed their concept for a Bell Air Taxi.

From what I gathered on the Bell website, it seems that the company is marketing their ambitious idea as a high-end, automated cab service for the affluent: “Bell has been moving people over urban obstacles for decades with traditional rotorcraft. Now we’re expanding the scope of air travel and aviation technology to advance life’s conveniences. From shaving precious minutes off a cross-town commute for your cannot-miss meeting to that last-minute tee time with friends (with room for your clubs!) - Bell’s on-demand Urban Air Taxi concept makes the previously unthinkable a viable solution to your busy life.”

There’s an impressive list of luxury features they’re hoping to offer. A bluetooth music player, video conferencing functions, GPS, traffic updates, and social media connectivity are all laid out as amenities in their dashboard mock-ups.

At this point, there’s no mention of exactly how these futuristic taxis will actually fly or how a concept like this would work within current FAA regulations (if that’s even a factor). I would expect such questions to be answered if and when Bell takes this project beyond concepts. 

Blake Morse

Events Coordinator

Blake has been writing and making videos about pop-culture and games for over 10 years now. Although he'd probably prefer you thought of him as a musician and listened to his band, www.cartoonviolencemusic.com. If you see him on the street, buy him a taco or something. Follow him on twitter @ProfRobot