Rainy Days

More than 1.38 million people were affected by continuous downpours in Hunan Province in central China as of 7 p.m. on June 16, according to local authorities.

Five bouts of heavy rains starting from May 29 have led to the evacuation of 53,000 people. A total of 1,605 houses have collapsed in the rains, which also damaged more than 140,000 hectares of crops, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

The meteorological department forecast that rains would reappear after June 18, warning of a grim situation in terms of flood control. for deliveries and rescue missions.

Developed by a team from Tsinghua University, the unmanned electric vehicle can switch between driving mode and flying mode. It has a four-wheel drive system and is equipped with a rotor to enable flight.

The vehicle, which is 1 meter long, 0.6 meter wide and 0.6 meter high, can conduct three-dimensional path planning, and is capable of vertical takeoff and landing, spatial planning, hovering in the air and flight obstacle avoidance, according to the team.

When it encounters obstacles or terrain that cannot be bypassed on the ground, the vehicle can switch to flying mode and find a more suitable area for driving on the ground.

The vehicle has been tested in both urban environment and mountain areas with complex terrain.

It can be used for delivering goods and in rescue missions and can be integrated into intelligent transportation systems in smart cities.