The success of uncrewed electric drones in the last couple of decades has caused some people to wonder if similar construction techniques could be used to create small electric aircraft to carry people.

Not only are electric motors more reliable than conventional engines, but they’re also light enough that you can put several of them on a single aircraft, offering an extra margin of safety. The ability to use several motors—together with sophisticated software—means greater design flexibility, opening the door to new types of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft that straddle the line between conventional airplane and helicopter.