The UMILES Next air taxi prototype, equipped with the FlyFree technology developed by TECNALIA, has successfully flown over the skies of Toulouse, where large-scale demonstrations of urban air mobility are being carried out to validate air traffic management within the U-space with unmanned aircraft
- Successful tests in real-world conditions demonstrate that this type of technology is capable of being integrated into an open flight environment.
- The Concept Integrity eVTOL is a more advanced design of the first version unveiled in 2019, having evolved all of the systems. It is the first in Spain to be able to transit around cities autonomously and has been designed to transport one person and cover urban distances of 15 kilometres. This model has become UMILES Next's key to make these future flights a little closer to reality.
28th September 2022. UMILES Next's air taxi, Concept Integrity, equipped with the FlyFree technology developed by the TECNALIA research centre, has successfully flown over the skies of Toulouse, Onera Test Field, as part of the Very Large Scale Demonstrations of the TindAIR -Tactical INstrumental Deconfliction And In-flight Resolution- project. This is a major step towards the integration of this type of aircraft into the airspace within the European TindAir project, which aims to validate the management of urban air traffic of the future with unmanned aircraft (U-space) and for this purpose other UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) have flown alongside the air taxi in different layers in order to demonstrate that the inclusion of this new "traffic" in urban areas is possible in the near future.
During the flight campaign, UMILES Next has been able to test automatic flight control and autonomous take-off and landing on its eVTOL aircraft (electric and vertical take-off and landing), which have enabled the air taxi to be integrated into the U-space.
The mobility of the future aims to be increasingly smart and sustainable. New systems and developments will mean that alternative transport solutions will be available in increasingly crowded cities. UMILES Next and TECNALIA have their sights set on this with their air and ground-based urban mobility solutions, which are expected to become a real alternative by around 2028.
The Concept Integrity prototype is the evolution of the first version presented in 2019, which is more evolved and dimensioned, capable of moving autonomously in cities, designed to transport one person and cover urban distances of 15 km in 15 minutes.
In order for such autonomous aircraft to achieve the necessary certifications to operate, they must be manned for the time being. UMILES Next is therefore working on the design of its manned aircraft, Integrity3, based on the patented FlyFree technology, which it plans to have in flight in the coming years.
Carlos Poveda, CEO UMILES Group: “Our goal is to be launched on the market soon and, therefore, the rules, standards and requirements to be fulfilled by all need to be defined, in conjunction with all the companies involved in air mobility. This type of initiative enables all scenarios involving security, among other aspects, to be contemplated. A big step for UMILES Next that brings us ever closer to the new mobility"
About TindAir 2022
The TindAIR project is organising a series of test flights for manned and unmanned aircraft, the first of which is in Toulouse and Bordeaux. Tindair emerged from the union of a group of innovative companies and research laboratories from France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, coordinated by Innov'ATM under the auspices of the SESAR Joint Undertaking with the aim of validating the urban air traffic management of the future (U-space) in Europe.
This is also a key phase for testing the technology and amassing flight hours. It is important that these vehicles are safely integrated into the skies alongside existing manned aviation and air traffic control prior to them taking off. Such flights are organised for this purpose, as they enable conflicts to be detected and resolved so that all airspace users can share airspace while guaranteeing maximum safety in the near future.
About UMILES Next
UMILES Next is the UMILES Group company focused on developing advanced air and ground mobility solutions. It is a pioneer in offering operators the innovative capacity to deal safely and sustainably with passenger and freight transport thanks to the synergies of proprietary technology.
It is a path on which UMILES Next is working with TECNALIA, its main technological partner, in order to lead air and land mobility, with the aim of competing at an international level with exclusively national capital and technology.
About TECNALIA
TECNALIA is the largest applied research and technological development centre in Spain, a European benchmark and member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance.
TECNALIA works with companies and institutions to increase their competitiveness, improve quality of life of people and achieve sustainable growth. This is possible thanks to people who are passionate about technology and committed to building a better society. Its main scopes of action are: digital transformation, smart manufacturing, energy transition, sustainable mobility, urban ecosystem, and personalised health.
