The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer Joby's inhouse operating system software. The company says the software is designed to enable speedy on-demand air taxi operations.
The 'ElevateOS' software includes pilot tools, operations and schedule management software, a mobile-first rider app, and an intelligent matching engine.
The matching engine is similar to other ride-hailing apps to match riders with drivers. For example, Uber's matching engine software looks beyond just proximity, but rather it considers factors such as traffic, overpasses, rivers, and other geographical factors. Joby said its matching engine will enable more efficient journeys for its users.
Joby has been developing the software since it acquired Uber's air taxi division Uber Elevate in 2021. In 2019, Uber Elevate launched and ran UberCopter, the world’s first on-demand, multi-modal air taxi service in New York City, using traditional helicopters that were bookable via the Uber app.
""We expect travelers to book on-demand and to be boarding an aircraft just minutes later, much like the experience of using ground-based ridesharing today. That required us to totally rethink the software and the operations of these aircraft,” said Joby chief product officer and former head of Uber Elevate Eric Allison.
He added: ""ElevateOS is the result of many years of iteration and real-life experience and we’re confident it is the most sophisticated, efficient, and flexible suite of air operations tools available today.""
The ElevateOS will be available to Joby's select partners who have purchased the aircraft as part of a wider services package.
FAA approves Joby's air taxi software
