Most Read Stories This Week: Will.i.am Funds Flying Car Company, Accident Traps Woman Under Self-Driving Taxi

Here are the most read stories in IoT World Today this week:

5 Flying Cars Delivered in China; 95 More Coming

Five flying cars developed by a Chinese eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) producer, EHang Holdings, have been delivered to be used for aerial tourism and sightseeing experiences in Shenzhen, China.

The delivery marks the start of a 100-unit order from Shenzhen Boling Holding Group.

The vehicles will be used for regular flight operations in Ehang’s urban air mobility demonstration center, according to the company.

See the flying cars in action here >>>

Will.i.am Funds Flying Car Company; $15M Invested

Singer, songwriter and technology entrepreneur Will.i.am has invested in flying car startup Jetson, which has plans to begin delivering its electric aerial vehicles (EAV) in 2024.

The $15 million seed round of financing in Jetson included Will.i.am and other angel investors.

Will.i.am also plans to train to become one of Jetson’s first pilots, according to the company, which operates at a private airfield south of Florence and plans to expand operations to the U.S. 

The Jetson One has eight motors, a lidar sensor auto landing system and hands-free hovering capability. 

Jetson plans to make the first U.S. test flights later this month.

Related:Most Read This Week: Humanoid Robot Factory Planned, Personal Flying Vehicles Coming to Market

Read more about the financing round >>>

Electric Air Taxi Company Opens Production Facility

Air taxi developer Beta Technologies has opened a manufacturing facility in Vermont for large-scale production of its electric aircraft.

The 188,500-square-foot facility was opened at the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport in Vermont, where Beta plans to build its eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) and CTOL (conventional takeoff and landing) aircraft.

Beta has been developing its eVTOL aircraft with numerous aerospace suppliers, including Albany Engineered Composites, Advanced Integration Technology, Garmin, Sensata Technologies, Volz Servis and Solvay.

Find out more about the facility here >>>

Woman Trapped Under Self-Driving Taxi After Freak Accident

Autonomous vehicle company Cruise has found itself at the center of another controversy after a woman was seriously injured when she was trapped under one of its self-driving taxis in San Francisco.

The incident happened on the evening of Monday, Oct. 2 and, while the exact sequence of events is still to be determined, it appears the woman was first struck by a regular human-driven vehicle, which propelled her into the path of the Cruise autonomous vehicle.

It then ran her over, stopping on top of her and leaving her pinned down on the ground.

This seemed to be confirmed by Cruise’s account on X, formerly known as Twitter, which said: “The initial impact was severe and launched the pedestrian directly in front of the AV.”

The incident has heightened debate over the role of self-driving taxis in the city, which has become especially fevered since Cruise, and rival Waymo, were granted permission to significantly expand their operations there.

Read about the incident here >>>

IoT Sensor Network Catches Electrical Fires Early, Offers Wildfire Detection

Every year there are thousands of electrical fires in the U.S., representing billions of dollars in losses and impacting thousands of lives. One company is building a network of sensors to catch these electrical fires early and provide a level of insight into grid resilience that hasn't previously been seen. 

Whisker Labs’ CEO Bob Marshall speaks about his company’s smart sensor, dubbed Ting, that plugs into a domestic outlet and monitors appliances for potential sparks.

While initially operating on a household level, the growing number of these sensors means Whisker is creating an increasingly intricate network of grid monitors, which can provide new levels of data on where faults are happening, and how utilities can mitigate potential issues.

Learn more about the sensor network >>>