Autonomous vehicles have been hailed as the solution to
overcrowded roads and their impact on America's aging
infrastructure. However,
recent accidents involving automated vehicles have some
wondering if having less cars on the road is a better long-term
approach. As it turns out, the world's top automaker might be
developing technology that will take cars off the road,
literally.
Toyota has filed at least two patents related to flying car
technology. It wants to "provide operators with expanded
private travel options" by enabling aerocars that can smoothly
transition from land mode to flight mode. In December 2014, Toyota
applied for a patent on a shape-morphing fuselage for an aerocar.
The application, made public by the United States Patent and
Trademark Office in June 2016, discloses a fuselage constructed
from flexible frame components and a tensile skin. An actuation
system expands the fuselage to safely house foldable wings in land
mode, then contracts the
