What’s Fort Worth’s Bell Helicopter doing at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas?
No, personal helicopters aren’t a thing yet. But air taxis are getting closer. And that’s what Bell Helicopter was demonstrating, at CES 2018 today, its air taxi cabin design and fully integrated user experience.
The four-passenger cabin demonstrates Bell’s view of an on-demand mobility aircraft that focuses on a people-first engineered user experience tailored with an urban air taxi ride. Bell, it should be noted, is working with Uber, Hillwood and other partners on plans for an air taxi service.
“Bell Helicopter is innovating at the limits of vertical flight and challenging the traditional notion of aviation to solve real-world problems,” stated Bell Helicopter’s President and CEO Mitch Snyder during the Las Vegas show. “The future of urban air taxi is closer than many people realize. We believe in the positive impact our design will have on addressing transportation concerns in cities worldwide.”
During CES, attendees can get a feel for the air taxi experience via an augmented reality simulator inside the cabin with a selection of consumer scenarios, from a red-carpet premiere landing to several cross-city day and night trips.
“The air taxi is not a new concept – Bell Helicopter has been moving people over urban landscapes for decades,” said Snyder. “While we are laser-focused on the passenger experience and eager to share with the public, Bell continues to develop our air taxi design to provide safe, reliable transportation services to the world.”
www.bellhelicopter.com/