Mercedes Unveils Crazy Avatar-Inspired Car, Hyundai Goes Up in the Air. At the CES tech fair in Las Vegas, Mercedes shows a car without a steering wheel and Hyunday shows flying taxis for Uber.
The Mercedes car has, instead of the steering wheel, a control in the centre console. The driver operates it by putting his or her hand on the box.
When the driver raises the hand, the car projects a selection menu on the palm. Man and machine become one, is the idea of Mercedes. The car will not be on the market for the time being, and it is an idea for the distant future.
Mercedes has named the car VISION AVTR. The name is based on the 3D movie Avatar. Its director, James Cameron, helped with the development and attended the presentation.
The designers thought about a car that people would use in the mid-22nd century. The car can drive not only forwards and backwards, but also sideways. The car must be electrically powered, with a battery of materials that can be reused.
Hyundai is going to develop flying taxis for Uber. The South Koreans have been busy for a while with a flying car, the Personal Air Vehicle. It is electrically driven and can rise and fall vertically.
In the sky, the flying Hyundai must have a top speed of 290 kilometres per hour. The car can fly at a few hundred meters height, with a range of approximately 100 kilometres.