Air Taxis & IP Exploring the future of flying by looking at patent data The concept of flying cars isn’t new, but are we getting closer to them being a reality? Looking at the patenting activity and what has been happening in this space, we pinpoint some key drivers, influencers and major players making the idea a reality. Air Taxis

Elon Musk suggested that “flying cars” will never happen, or While the race to develop flying cars has started shouldn’t. However, the research and investments in this to gain momentum in recent years, the concept technology area show there is genuine interest in making has been around for decades. One of the earliest them happen. For example, Germany-based start-up Lilium attempts at a flying was by who recently secured a $90m (£69m) investment from, among built the Curtiss Autoplane, a roadable (Figure others, Chinese tech giant Tencent and Atomico. They are 1.) in 1917, detailed in his patent US1294413A, far from the only active players in this technology space. that never achieved full flight. Several subsequent We had the opportunity to hear from Volocoptor’s CIO Alex attempts were made during the last century to bring Zosel and Lilium investor Yann de Vries of Atomico at Tech flying cars and autonomous aircrafts to the market, Crunch Disrupt Berlin in December, 2017. Zosel sees his but recent developments have paved the way for technology being applied within the next two to three years personal air to become a technological and de Vries sees Lilium reaching the market within the reality. next ten years.

Flying cars, roadable aircrafts, (vertical take-off and landing) and personal air vehicles, are a few of the synonyms for air taxis. Air taxis are now being developed to provide short-haul flights, for example, a 19km journey from Manhattan to JFK airport could last as little as five minutes in a , or as an on-demand form of door- to-door transportation.

Figure 1. A sketch of the Curtiss Autoplane from Glenn Curtiss’ patent US1294413A

1 Reasons why air taxis are an attractive idea Convenience and ease of congestion

Currently, traffic congestion is a major problem in most to check in for a flight, instead of dealing with airport urban areas and air travel requires planning and time parking and shuttles. The idea is that air taxis would wasted at airports. For commuters in busy cities, air taxis operate much like the or Lyft app, an individual would ease traffic and reduce daily commute times. For would be able to request an air taxi to pick them up from air travel, imagine the convenience of being able to travel a location at their chosen time, and drop them off directly with your luggage from your home to your local airport at, or close to, their chosen destination.

The rate of innovation may be aided by government mandates to reduce emissions and improve safety

Advancements in technology have helped to dismantle themselves perfectly for air taxis. Electric power rather barriers to market feasibility for air taxis. Examples include than conventional fuel-powered flying cars is particularly software, materials, sensors, and battery technology. Air important because the proposed air taxi infrastructure taxis need to be lightweight and composite materials such will be integrated into urban cities, and for the network as carbon fiber help to reduce the weight of the vehicle, to be viable, noise and emissions must be kept to a thus allowing for the addition of more batteries or payload. minimum. The development of distributed electric propulsion in the aircraft industry has improved the thrust efficiency and Additionally, government initiatives are helping to make reduced emissions. these a potential commercial reality. For example, Britain has declared a ban on all diesel and Battery technology has rapidly advanced and significant petrol cars and from 2040. Dubai has outlined a research is funded to further the emergence and adoption self-driving strategy that aims to carry out “ 25% of its of electric cars and autonomous vehicles. Advancements passenger transportation with the help of autonomous in technology for autonomous and electric vehicles lend means of transport.”

Infrastructure costs

While there is scepticism, the costs associated with Air taxis, in particular, those that have vertical take- building the infrastructure for an air taxi network may be off and landing capabilities, don’t require runways. As more cost-efficient than building infrastructure for ground this recent white paper from UberElevate highlights, transportation. Without having to build and maintain existing infrastructures can be exploited for air taxi use. roads and the peripheral structures to support them, the UberElevate proposes “Vertiports” that have charging infrastructure required for air taxis costs far less than that facilities, hubs, and pads for take-off and landing that for ground transportation. could be developed from existing unused land, tops of parking garages or existing helipads (Figure 2.).

Figure 2. Uber landing pad 2 Intellectual property activity in air taxi space

Patent filing timeline for air taxi technology

We learn about the future of air taxies by understanding significant rise in patents filed between 2014 and 2015. the patents filed and by whom. Figure 3 below shows the During this period, we see a number of smaller players number of currently “live” patents filed each year since such as Zunum Aero, Joby , and XTI Aircraft, 1997. The shaded region shows a drop in the number enter the space and file patents, driven perhaps by the of patents filed, though this is merely a result of patent developments in electric propulsion for aircrafts. applications that have not yet been published. There is a

250

200

150

100 Number of patents filed 50

0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Year

Granted Pending

Figure 3. A patent filing timeline showing the number of live patents filed per year since 1997. Lapsed patents have been removed.

Patents by region

Top 5 jurisdictions by number We can also look at where these patents are being filed. Figure 4 shows that the largest of patent filings number of filings are being made in the US. China follows closely behind, however nearly 600 half of these are utility models. Europe, 500 Pending Japan, and Russia are also granting a 400 Granted number of patents in this area. Companies 300 Utility Model such as , Sikorsky Aircraft, and Honeywell International have all filed patents 200 in various technologies in Japan. 100 0 US CN EP JP RU

Figure 4. The top five jurisdictions for patent filings

3 What are the key features for air taxis

The design of air taxis varies between manufacturers Vehicles have also been designed to allow for vertical but there are common features. Most have been initially take-off and landing using tiltable electric engines designed for pilot controlled use but some envisage that allow the engines to be rotated depending on the that these aircrafts will be autonomous, thus reducing flight mode. Several different designs for propulsion the costs associated with training and employing technologies have been used, for example Urban pilots. recently acquired Aurora Flight Sciences Aeronautic’s CityHawk uses ducted fans, while the Corporation which will allow them to leverage Aurora’s has a design with 18 rotors (Figure 5.). In expertise in autonomous systems, electric propulsion terms of safety, these hybrid vehicles have both airbags and advanced flight control. Both Boeing and and parachutes for protection on the road and in the air. have introduced fly-by-wire systems into commercial aircrafts, incorporating this system in air taxis will further reduce their weight and enhance safety through system redundancy.

Figure 5. electric VTOL design with 18 rotors

4 Technology areas dominating air taxi technology

Patent analysis allows us to identify the 41% Propulstion systems technology areas that are dominating this space (Figure 6). Technology related 18% Control Systems to propulsion methods or systems lead with more than double the number of 15% Aircraft design patents relating to control systems and the design of the aircraft. Fewer 7% Wing design patents exist on landing platforms or landing systems for aircrafts, and wing 6% Engine design. These areas may present new opportunities for players to enter this 6% Landing platform/aircraft system space or maybe there is less opportunity to innovate here? 4% Lighter-than-air design/system

3% Airflow

Figure 6. Technology Breakdown

Propulsion and rotor showing to be the vital technology

Companies Rotor Duct Fans Lift fans Propeller Thrust Grand fans and rotor vector Total Sikorsky Aircraft 42 1 43 Urban Aeronautics 2 29 3 34 Eurocopter 13 8 8 29 Boeing 12 4 4 1 1 22 Zee Aero 13 7 20 IHI 9 3 8 20 Airbus 17 2 19 Israelarospace Industries 12 6 18 SOO Cheoljung 14 14 Bell 6 7 13 Joby Aviation 13 13 Durov Dmitrij Sergeevich 8 4 1 13 Grand Total 138 42 32 12 11 9 7 7 258

Figure 7. A heat map of patent activity for propulsion technologies by top companies

Efficient propulsion technology determines the practicality of these flying vehicles and Figure 7 shows the number of patents filed by the top companies in this area.

Rotor design dominates this space with roughly three times as many patent filings as any other technology. Sikorsky Aircraft currently leads the way with their coaxial counter-rotating rotor technology. technology (Figure 8), is proposed by Urban Aeronautics, and Metro Skyways Ltd., its subsidiary has patented their Fancraft™ technology (e.g. US7918416). Urban Aeronautics are leaders in this area and they filed patents ahead of their competitors in the early 2000s. If Urban Aeronautics are successful in bringing their VTOL aircrafts, in particular, the CityHawk, into commercial use, these early Fancraft™ technology patents could be a barrier to entry for compet- Figure 8. Example diagram of ducted fan VTOL vehicle by Urban Aeronautics (US7806362) ing companies. 5 Who are the key players in the space?

There are a number of companies developing air More interesting may be the appearance of Honeywell taxis and their patent filings provide an insight into International and General Electric in the top ten. They their business and R&D activity. The players with the are leading players in electric or hybrid-electric aircrafts, strongest patent portfolios are Sikorsky Aircraft (now however, neither seem to be particularly active in owned by Lockheed Martin), Boeing, Airbus and LTA manufacturing flying cars, or forming partnerships to (Figure 9). provide systems or components for other manufacturers. Honeywell International has patented several control and Unsurprisingly, large aircraft manufacturers such as propulsion systems for VTOLs or unmanned aerial vehicles, Boeing and Airbus (including formerly Eurocopter and General Electric have several patents on engines for Group) appear in the top ten companies. However, it is short take-off or vertical take-off and landing vehicles. It notable that smaller players such as Larry Page’s start- may be interesting to see whether these experienced patent up Zee Aero and Rafi Yoeli’s Urban Aeronautics are also licensing companies exploit their portfolios as the industry building strong patent portfolios. expands and matures.

Top 10 companies by number of patent filings

SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT BOEING AIRBUS LTA ZEE AERO EUROCOPTER URBAN AERONAUTICS HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES GENERAL ELECTRIC 02 04 06 08 0 100 120

Granted Pending Family

Figure 9. Top ten companies filing patents for flying cars/air taxis

6 Startups having an impact

Several start-ups are making an impact. AeroMobil recently received funding from InfraPartners Management s.r.o. has made significant technological advancements and are hoping to bring VTOLs to Asia through IPM’s and their early patent filings in aircraft design filed in connections, to help ease the congestion in cities in Asia. 2011 reflect this (Figure 10). Notably, AeroMobil filed AeroMobil may be a key competitor in this area up against a patent with the PCT in 2011 (WO2013032409A1) on companies such as Zunum Aero and Zee Aero. These two the transformation method of a from the companies have also received significant investments, ground to the air. The strength of their patent portfolio with Boeing Co. and JetBlue Airways Corp. investing in attracted investors and they unveiled AeroMobil 3.0 at Zunum Aero, and Larry Page investing in Zee Aero. the Pioneers Festival in Vienna in 2014. They have also

Companies Aircraft design Lighter-than-air design/systems Wing design Materials/coating Grand total LTA 54 54 Aeromobilsro 29 29 Zee Aero 24 24 Monitor Coatings 10 10 Aerovironment 9 9 Airbus 9 9 Boeing 3 6 9 Zunum Aero 9 9 GO Science 8 8 Plimp, Inc. 8 8 Grand total 65 65 32 10 169

Figure 10. A heat map of patents for aircraft design

Operator partnerships

Uber Elevate’s partnerships suggest that they will become the pricing and demand of this network will have a huge one of the key service operators in the Air Taxi service. impact on the adoption of air taxis. Uber’s recent partner- They are planning to debut their network of on-demand ship with NASA will also help them to develop air traffic VTOL aircrafts by 2020. They envision this will operate in management systems, a crucial step in implementing the same way their Uber taxis do, with an in-app option the network. In terms of vertiport development, Uber has which could be used to request an UberAir at roughly partnered with real estate developers Dubai Holdings in the same cost as an UberX. UberAir have partnered with the UAE as well as Hillwood Properties in Texas. They several companies such as Aurora Flight Sciences, Pipist- have also partnered with ChargePoint who will design the rel Aircraft, Embraer, Mooney, and Bell Helicopter, who will VTOL chargers, based on their ultra-fast DC chargers for manufacture and design the aircrafts. Mooney Interna- electric vehicles. Aside from Dubai, Dallas-Fort Worth and tional has partnered with Carter Aviation Technologies to Los Angeles, Uber’s partnership with Mooney Internation- produce electric VTOL aircrafts for Uber which use slowed al and Pipistrel Aircraft may demonstrate their attempt to rotor/compound technology. It will be interesting to see get a foothold in the Chinese market. how this technology performs against Bell Helicopter’s tiltrotor technology for Uber’s air taxis. It is also uncertain With the push for Dubai’s self-driving strategy mentioned what effect Boeing’s recent acquisition of Aurora Flight earlier in the article, and evidence from Volocopter’s Sciences will have since Aurora is a crucial linchpin in autonomous aerial taxi and Ehang’s autonomous aerial Uber’s Air Taxi network plans. vehicles gaining headway in Dubai, we can anticipate that there will be fierce competition between companies to Uber Elevate has also contracted with Dallas-Fort Worth become the first to develop the air taxi network in Dubai. and Dubai to be their launch partners and more recently We wonder if Uber will decide they need patents in this has unveiled plans to test the network in Los Angeles. Du- space in the coming years and then launch a patent bai is racing ahead to become one of the first in the world acquisition program like they’ve done for their existing to have an air taxi network, and the support from the Dubai business. There is little evidence from the landscape that Road and Transport Authority will be key in advancing this they themselves have an aggressive patenting program. VTOL network. For example, their funding for studies into

7 Car manufacturers are also involved in air taxi technology

Volocopter has secured €25 million investment from Daimler and the technology investor Lukasz Gadowski for its VTOLs. Daimler is part owner through the acquisition of HERE mapping which makes them well placed in the value chain. But Toyota is also investing and has filed patents in propulsion technology and VTOL control systems. is another automaker who has entered the air taxi space and are planning to bring flying cars to the Chinese market with their recent acquisition of , a small start-up designing flying cars.

Takeaways

A review of the patents in this area highlights the diversity Like the world of mobile communications, and more of designs and technologies that are enabling flying cars recently automotive, we see incumbents, disruptive new to become a reality. We see a range of small companies entrants and large tech companies fighting to find their entering the space and building portfolios to strengthen way into an exciting high value market, not all of them are their position in this market. We also see large players following up with a comprehensive approach to their IP investing, acquiring or partnering with start-ups in order strategies and whilst this article provides an insight into to acquire expertise and technology in the race to bring this emerging sector, a more in-depth analysis is essential air taxis to the market. This benefits smaller players in to understand the full scope of the IP landscape, identify that they gain access to capital and a platform upon the key technologies being adopted, and determine which which they can rapidly develop their ideas. We are also new players are the most innovative as well as identifying observing open innovation, with Uber’s business model any IP risks that may impact business plans downstream. being a prime example, collaborations between several players and standardisation of certain aspects (e.g. flight control) will be key to turning the air taxi network vision into a reality. About the author

Gopikkaa Kanthasamy

Gopikkaa is involved in providing a range of IP services, such as patent data analysis and innovation capture. She has been able to utilise her expertise in chemistry and biology to provide IP consultancy services to clients in the relevant industry sectors.

Gopikkaa has a first-class Master’s Degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Nottingham, where the focus of her thesis was on studying the effects of high pressure on a metal-organic framework, using single crystal X-ray diffraction. She has also co-authored papers in this area. Prior to joining ClearViewIP, Gopikkaa used her knowledge in X-ray crystallography to conduct experiments at the National Crystallography Service..

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