Future Flight: Embraer Pulse Concept

But the Pulse is no military design; it’s an elegant, joined-wing twin tiltrotor that carries a roomy pod with plush seating for five or so passengers. Embraer’s engineering and design team came up with the concept to demonstrate how electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) flying may well evolve in the next 50 years.

Both the aircraft and its ground vehicle operate autonomously. No crew are necessary, except maybe a ticket agent to usher passengers into the glass pod. The pod offers near-360-degree visibility thanks to its use of transparent aluminum alloys and has interactive panels that allow text and other smartphone-like connectivity, and post flight information.

In flight, the Pulse’s organic lines give it the predatory vibe of a futuristic hawk-like creature. Embraer says those lines were inspired by the revolutionary impact of Buick’s sleek 1938 “Y-Job” concept car, which forever did away the era of running boards; external, stand-up radiators; and open-wheel fenders.

After the Pulse lands, the autonomous ground vehicle docks with the pod and drives the passengers away—pod and all—to their destinations without the need to ever leave the pod. After the pod’s delivery, the Pulse does a vertical takeoff and peels off to its next leg.

Yes, Embraer is developing its EmbraerX eVTOL for use in the near future. But after the initial wave of eVTOL designs there’s sure to be an evolution to a phase encompassing more capability. The Pulse Concept could be one of them. In the meantime, it lives on the drawing board.

executive.embraer.com/global/en/pulse

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