Joby Aviation today announced a partnership with Metropolis Technologies, an applied AI company, to develop 25 vertiports across the United States utilizing Metropolis’ extensive network of parking locations. The partnership will incorporate Metropolis’ AI-based recognition technology, as well the company’s extensive footprint across aviation and baggage services.
“Following its USD1.5 billion acquisition of SP+, and USD1.6 billion Series D financing, Metropolis is the largest parking network and operator in North America, operating more than 4,200 parking locations, as well as aviation services in over 350 locations,” said the companies in a press release. “The planned vertiports will be strategically selected across Metropolis’ portfolio in early electric air taxi markets and use Metropolis’ computer vision technology; the companies will be evaluating both new and existing facilities for the integration of vertiports.”
“For air taxis to deliver on their promise of seamless urban travel, they must connect directly with the existing ground transportation ecosystem,” said JoeBen Bevirt, CEO and founder of Joby. “By leveraging existing parking infrastructure to create mobility hubs, we can deliver on our vision of seamless connectivity for our customers and also maximize the value of those sites without needing to build infrastructure from scratch.”
The companies plan to leverage Metropolis’ technology, including biometrics, broader computer vision and services like baggage handling, to accelerate Joby’s efforts to integrate its air taxi service directly into existing ground transportation hubs and deploy compact, high-throughput vertiport designs that satisfy safety and regulatory standards. Under its Bags Inc. subsidiary, Metropolis will initially bring its Bags VIP service to Joby’s Blade Urban Air Mobility, which provides flights between Manhattan and JFK or Newark airports, bypassing up to two hours of traffic and eliminating common airport pain points, say the companies.
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发布者：Philip Butterworth-Hayes，转转请注明出处：https://robotalks.cn/joby-metropolis-to-develop-25-vertiports-at-car-parks-throughout-the-usa/
