Filipino inventor aims to cut travel times with drone

An Australian company is partnering Mendiola

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APhilippine inventor has unveiled what he calls a flying sports car that represents the future of transport, riding it out of a warehouse towards a cheering crowd, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

Former dancer and camera operator Kyxz Mendiola flew and hovered for a few minutes in a single-passenger contraption powered by the “multicopter” technology commonly used in small unmanned drones.

“It was amazing,” Mendiola told journalists, after what he said was the first public test flight of his invention. “All the hard work paid off. Everything worked perfect.”

Mendiola’s machine, the “Koncepto Milenya”, can fly as high as 6.1 metres and speed up to 60km/h but its maiden flight lasted just a little over 10 minutes.

He said it took a long time to save up the funds for the components of the singleseater powered by six lithium-ion batteries whose passenger steers with a portable radio frequency controller.

“Press a button and it will go up, then push the stick forward, it goes forward. It’s very smart, that’s why I’m saying it has a lot of potential,” Mendiola said.

The machine, which can carry up to 100kg, could shave hours off trips in cities like the capital, Manila, crippled by chronic traffic problem, Mendiola said.

An Australian company, Star8, is partnering with Mendiola to develop the vehicle.

Reuters A journalist rides a drone controlled by inventor Kyxz Mendiola, during its unveiling in the province of Batangas, Philippines on Sunday.