Flying taxis that were for long thought to be a futuristic pursuit of science fiction might finally be taking flight.

Wisk, a joint venture between Boeing and Kitty Hawk, has signed an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the New Zealand government to allow trails of its electric aircraft Cora, with passengers inside!

Based on the information received by Engadget, the pilot trials are slated to begin in the Canterbury region of New Zealand very soon, although no date has been finalised yet.&nbsp;

<h6><img alt="pp" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="bc2aff07-7c62-4d48-adf0-d0d854b79ab3" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%287%29_22.jpg" /> 
The Bell Nexus concept vehicle is shown at the Uber Elevate Summit June 12, 2019 in Washington, DC, one of the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicles or flying cars that will be part of Uber’s fleet for aerial ride sharing | AFP 
&nbsp;</h6>

Kitty Hawk was formed in 2016. A secret for a long time, the company received the support of Google co-founder Larry Page. With the help of Sebastian Thrun, a Stanford AI expert responsible for Google's self-driving cars, the company created Cora, the two seated aircraft.

Katty Hawk, in 2018 announced plans to team up with Air New Zealand in preparation of the world's first autonomous air taxi service. However, with no manufacturing partner, the Hawk partnered with Boeing. This birthed Wisk in 2019.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-uber-and-nasa-set-to-develop-flying-taxis-23832/amp/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Envisioned to work on the app model already put in place by Uber and other online cab app-based services.&nbsp;

Once in place, the flying taxi would be called via an app and flown on auto-pilot and human pilot modes intermittently.

Uber is also in the league of flying taxis, with its ''Elevate'' programme in the works. Germany's ''Volocopter'' has also made grand promises about its own brand of flying cabs. However, owing to the risks associated with the new tech, governments are hesitant to allow operations.

If Wisk trials succeed, flying taxis could become a reality!

Flying taxis that were for long thought to be a futuristic pursuit of science fiction might finally be taking flight. Wisk, a joint venture between Boeing and Kitty Hawk, has signed an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the New Zealand government to allow trails of its electric aircraft Cora, with passengers inside!

Flying taxis that were for long thought to be a futuristic pursuit of science fiction might finally be taking flight. Wisk, a joint venture between Boeing and Kitty Hawk, has signed an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the New Zealand government to allow trails of its electric aircraft Cora, with passengers inside! Based on the information received by Engadget, the pilot trials are slated to begin in the Canterbury region of New Zealand very soon, although no date has been finalised yet. The Bell Nexus concept vehicle is shown at the Uber Elevate Summit June 12, 2019 in Washington, DC, one of the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicles or flying cars that will be part of Uber’s fleet for aerial ride sharing | AFP Kitty Hawk was formed in 2016. A secret for a long time, the company received the support of Google co-founder Larry Page. With the help of Sebastian Thrun, a Stanford AI expert responsible for Google's self-driving cars, the company created Cora, the two seated aircraft. Katty Hawk, in 2018 announced plans to team up with Air New Zealand in preparation of the world's first autonomous air taxi service. However, with no manufacturing partner, the Hawk partnered with Boeing. This birthed Wisk in 2019. Envisioned to work on the app model already put in place by Uber and other online cab app-based services. Once in place, the flying taxi would be called via an app and flown on auto-pilot and human pilot modes intermittently. Uber is also in the league of flying taxis, with its ''Elevate'' programme in the works. Germany's ''Volocopter'' has also made grand promises about its own brand of flying cabs. However, owing to the risks associated with the new tech, governments are hesitant to allow operations. If Wisk trials succeed, flying taxis could become a reality!

'Cora': Autonomous flying taxi to begin trials in New Zealand

A life-like avatar called Cora is being put through her paces by Royal Bank of Scotland, helping customers with basic queries and giving its digital banking drive a more human face.

RBS, which recently axed a quarter of its branches and has announced thousands of job cuts in the past year alone as it reduces costs, will only deploy Cora to NatWest customers if the bank&#39;s female avatar passes her probation period.

The digital teller, who wears a NatWest branded uniform and has an ear piercing and sparkling teeth, answers simple questions on getting a mortgage or what to do if a customer loses their card.

People can have a one-on-one conversation with Cora&nbsp;on a computer screen, tablet or mobile phone.

Cora is also able to answer basic questions such as - &quot;How do I log in to online banking?&quot;, &quot;How do I apply for a mortgage?&quot; , &quot;What do I do if I lose my card?.&quot;

The digital human&nbsp;would not be a replacement for branches or members of NatWest staff but is intended as an extra way for customers to find information, potentially cutting waiting times for customers and freeing up staff to deal with trickier questions.

&quot;It could create another way for our customers to bank with us on top of the usual services we offer and be used to help answer questions round the clock, whilst cutting queuing times,&quot; Kevin Hanley, director of innovation at NatWest, said.

Cora, which is undergoing advanced testing as part of a pilot programme at RBS, could even be used to train members of staff, Hanley said on Wednesday.

NatWest have been building the Cora digital human using technology provided by New Zealand-based company Soul Machines.

Initiatives range from now-commonplace chatbots or installing tablets in branches to bolder forays into the future, such as robot door staff. Deutsche Bank CEO John Cryan said last year robots could replace 48,000 of the bank&#39;s human employees, who were too error-prone and inefficient.

The RBS experiment is the latest by an industry trying to adapt to changing customer behaviour, rapid technological change and the threat posed by new entrants.

Cora could free up human colleagues to deal with more complex issues, the bank continued, adding that testing has suggested customers who have avoided digital services might be more inclined to interact with a &quot;digital human&quot;.

Cora, which is undergoing advanced testing as part of a pilot programme at RBS, could even be used to train members of staff

A life-like avatar called Cora is being put through her paces by Royal Bank of Scotland, helping customers with basic queries and giving its digital banking drive a more human face. RBS, which recently axed a quarter of its branches and has announced thousands of job cuts in the past year alone as it reduces costs, will only deploy Cora to NatWest customers if the bank's female avatar passes her probation period. The digital teller, who wears a NatWest branded uniform and has an ear piercing and sparkling teeth, answers simple questions on getting a mortgage or what to do if a customer loses their card. People can have a one-on-one conversation with Cora on a computer screen, tablet or mobile phone. Cora is also able to answer basic questions such as - "How do I log in to online banking?", "How do I apply for a mortgage?" , "What do I do if I lose my card?." The digital human would not be a replacement for branches or members of NatWest staff but is intended as an extra way for customers to find information, potentially cutting waiting times for customers and freeing up staff to deal with trickier questions. "It could create another way for our customers to bank with us on top of the usual services we offer and be used to help answer questions round the clock, whilst cutting queuing times," Kevin Hanley, director of innovation at NatWest, said. Cora, which is undergoing advanced testing as part of a pilot programme at RBS, could even be used to train members of staff, Hanley said on Wednesday. NatWest have been building the Cora digital human using technology provided by New Zealand-based company Soul Machines. Initiatives range from now-commonplace chatbots or installing tablets in branches to bolder forays into the future, such as robot door staff. Deutsche Bank CEO John Cryan said last year robots could replace 48,000 of the bank's human employees, who were too error-prone and inefficient. The RBS experiment is the latest by an industry trying to adapt to changing customer behaviour, rapid technological change and the threat posed by new entrants. Cora could free up human colleagues to deal with more complex issues, the bank continued, adding that testing has suggested customers who have avoided digital services might be more inclined to interact with a "digital human".

NatWest hires 'digital human' to help customers with queries

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