Human-carrying drone debuts at Las Vegas tech show

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Thursday, January 7, 2016
Company unveils drone for humans
A Chinese company claims it has built a done that can carry a single passenger

LAS VEGAS, NV (KTRK) -- A Chinese firm Ehang is showing the world the first-ever drone that carry people.

The prototype is on display at the Computer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas.

The Ehang 184 -- that stands for one passenger, eight propellers and four arms - can take a single passenger to a pre-programmed destination.

The company's engineers say once the destination is entered, the passenger will only have to push buttons to take off and land.

Ehang claims the drone can fly up to 23 minutes on a battery. The drone, they say, can fly more than 11,000 high at speeds of 62 miles an hour.

The company has raised about $50 million in venture capital.

The company still has to get Federal Aviation Administration approval for the devices, and has not gone into mass production.