Most Read This Week: Flying Taxi Company Expands to UAE, Comcast Cyberattack Impacts 36 Million

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

Flying Taxi Company Expands Into UAE; 100-Vehicle Sale

A Chinese eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle maker is extending its operations to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) including the sale of up to 100 of its flying vehicles.

EHang Holdings is joining the Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries Cluster in Abu Dhabi and formed a partnership with Wings Logistics Hub, a passenger eVTOL subsidiary of Technology Holding Company.

The two companies plan to develop urban air transportation and smart city management in the UAE, Middle East and North Africa regions.

EHang’s EH216-S is believed to be the world’s first unmanned eVTOL two-passenger vehicle cleared for commercial use in China.

See the eVTOL in action here >>>

Comcast Cyberattack Impacts 36 Million Xfinity Customers

Comcast has confirmed a data security incident that affected almost 36 million Xfinity customers.

Attackers reportedly accessed customer data using a vulnerability found in Citrix software, which was first disclosed in October and has been dubbed the “CitrixBleed” bug.

Following a review of the incident, Xfinity concluded customer information compromised under the hack included usernames and hashed passwords, as well as names, contact information, the last four digits of social security numbers, dates of birth and/or secret questions and answers. 

Related:Most Read This Week: Cruise Self-Driving Taxis Plan for Return, Cyberattacks Close Emergency Rooms, Impact Online Holiday Shopping

While an exact number of customers impacted was not included, a filing with Maine’s attorney general from Comcast showed just under 36 million users were impacted.

Xfinity’s analysis of the incident is ongoing.

Read more details of the attack >>>

Flying Vehicle Company Signs Deal With Air Force; Logistics Missions

The U.S. Air Force has entered into an agreement with eVTOL Israeli startup Air to further develop advanced air mobility.

The partners are planning a series of tests to determine the viability of using the Air One electric aerial vehicle (EAV) for logistics missions.

The tests would include the EAV carrying one to two people more than 10 miles at speeds of at least 45 mph.

According to the company, the Air One has eight motors and can take off and land on any flat surface with a 550-pound payload and can travel at speeds up to 155 mph. Air also said already has more than 800 preorders for its EAV, with deliveries planned following FAA certification.

Read more about the deal >>>

Flying Taxi Company Starts Testing; Deal with Dallas Airport

Overair, a California eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) startup, has completed its first full-scale prototype. 

The electric aerial vehicle (EAV), dubbed Butterfly, is now moving to the vehicle-level testing phase, starting in 2024. Potential use cases include passenger travel, medical, cargo and military applications.

Overair has already entered partnerships with the Dallas Fort Worth Airport, the city of Arlington, Texas and Jeju Island, South Korea to potentially deploy its flying taxi service, once the tech reaches commercialization.

The Dallas airport partnership includes a feasibility assessment for integrating passenger eVTOL operations across the North Texas region.

See the eVTOL in action >>>

Uncrewed Cargo Aircraft Takes Flight

A cargo plane has completed an autonomous flight in the skies north of Hollister, California, in what is being heralded as a first for aviation. 

The Cessna 208B Caravan was fitted with an autonomous flight system from Reliable Robotics that automated all phases of the aircraft’s journey, from taxi to takeoff and landing.

While there was no crew onboard the plane, the flight was supervised remotely by a pilot on the ground, located at Reliable Robotics’ control center 50 miles away.

Reliable Robotics called the project a “significant milestone” in its work bringing safety-enhancing tech to the U.S. market.

The company said its system is aircraft agnostic and uses multiple layers of advanced navigation technology to achieve the levels of reliability needed for uncrewed flight. 

See the inside of the cockpit >>>