However, their computational demands often become a significant barrier as the number of agents and complexity of the simulation increase. Traditional ABM platforms often struggle to fully exploit modern computing resources, hindering the development of large-scale simulations. This paper presents Vahana.jl, a high performance computing open source framework that aims to address these limitations. Building on the formalism of synchronous graph dynamical systems, Vahana.jl is especially well suited for models with a focus on (social) networks. The framework seamlessly supports distribution across multiple compute nodes, enabling simulations that would otherwise be beyond the capabilities of a single machine.

While everyone on the ground is stressing about self-driving cars, the future of flight is also moving more toward autonomous planes, as seen at the 2019 edition of the Paris Air Show. The air show is one of the biggest aerospace events annually and everyone from established names to newer companies showed off concept craft and prototype vehicles. Boeing (yes, the same company reeling from two deadly plane crashes and grounded 737 Max planes around the world) displayed its idea for the autonomous Passenger Air Vehicle, while rival Airbus also floated the idea of pilot-less planes and hybrid and electric passenger jets by 2035. Airbus' Vahana is a small, passenger-carrying electric, autonomous vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) craft, and the company showed a video of the plane in flight during the show, along with a model of the plane. Airbus' all-electric, single-seat Vahana could be pilot-less.

A radical electric passenger drone developed by Airbus has completed its first full transition flight, proving its ability to take off vertically and accelerate to over 100 miles per hour before slowing down for a soft landing. Vahana, the project working to bring the craft to life under Airbus's innovation arm, shared incredible footage of the accomplishment this week. The test marked Vahana's 66th flight, a number it has since surpassed by more than a dozen. In a blog post announcing the milestone, Vahana's Zach Lovering said the test'represents everything we set out to achieve when we began our flight test campaign.' The successful full transition flight was performed on May 3 in Oregon. 'In the video, you'll see Vahana take off vertically and then accelerate forward, much like in other videos we've shared,' Lovering explains.

Airbus has shared new footage of its autonomous robot taxi taking to the skies for the first time. The flying taxi, dubbed Alpha One, is part of Project Vahana, the aerospace giant's advanced projects division. The video shows the self-flying drone hovering above the ground for about a minute or so, before smoothly lowering itself back to the ground. Airbus posted the video on Thursday, a month after the test flight took place at the Pendleton Unmanned Aerial Systems Range in Oregon, close to a nearby airport where the craft has been stored since November 2017. Airbus' plans to create a fleet of self-flying taxis have moved a step closer to becoming reality, thanks to the first successful test flight of a full-scale prototype. Project Vahana's aircraft, dubbed Alpha One, took to the skies for the first time, flying for a total of 53 seconds AlphaOne is a full-scale aircraft that's all-electric and self-piloted.

At 8:52 on the morning of January 31, eight buzzing rotors lifted a black bubble of an aircraft off the ground for the first time. About 20 feet from nose to tail and the same from wingtip to wingtip, Vahana spent 53 seconds aloft, under its own power and autonomous control. It reached a height of 16 feet, looming over the runway at Oregon's Pendleton UAS Test Range like a gigantisized quadcopter drone. The flight may not sound like much, but the team from Airbus' Silicon Valley outpost, A 3, and aerospace experts say such flights of experimental aircraft mark the start of a fundamental change in the way we get around. "The revolution of aviation we see today is comparable to the jet age," says Jim Gregory, director of the Aerospace Research Center at The Ohio State University.

Airbus announced this week it successfully tested its flying taxi Vahana on Jan. 31 in Oregon. The test is a bit behind schedule. Airbus promised last January to test a prototype for an autonomous flying car by the end of 2017. The test comes less than two years after Airbus announced its autonomous flying car plans in September 2016 by introducing Project Vahana. The goal of the company's A³ division is to allow people to book rides using an app, like Uber or Lyft, but for flying cars instead.

Airbus' plans to create a fleet of self-flying taxis have moved a step closer, thanks to the first successful test flight of a full-scale prototype. Project Vahana's aircraft, dubbed Alpha One, took to the skies for the first time, flying for a total of 53 seconds. With further testing, the firm hopes to have a commercial version of the craft in operation by 2020. Airbus' plans to create a fleet of self-flying taxis have moved a step closer to becoming reality, thanks to the first successful test flight of a full-scale prototype. Project Vahana's aircraft, dubbed Alpha One, took to the skies for the first time, flying for a total of 53 seconds The test flights took place at the Pendleton Unmanned Aerial Systems Range in Oregon, close to a nearby airport where the craft has been stored since November 2017. Alpha One climbed to a height of 16 feet (five metres) before successfully returning to the ground at 8:52am PT (11.52am

We've covered Airbus's Vahana project, which is the aeronautical company's endeavor to build a self-flying taxi network, in detail before. Now, it looks as though Airbus has reached a major milestone. The company is ready to test its Vahana flying car after moving it from the company's headquarters to a dedicated hangar in Pendleton, Oregon, as the Vahana team details in a blog post. Preparing the aircraft for shipment meant disassembling it and loading it into a truck. Once it arrived in Pendleton, the team took Vahana's landing gear and towing provisions on its first real-world test.

Before you can zip about in a flying car, engineers must solve more than a few problems. Oddly, figuring out how to make a flying car fly isn't among them. The basics of flight were sorted out more than 100 years ago. No, the big challenge lies in making these things fly themselves so you don't have to go through the hassle of earning a pilot's license. "Takeoff is fairly scripted," says Sanjiv Signh, the CEO of Near Earth Autonomy.

French aerospace giant Airbus has begun developing a self-flying, electric-powered aircraft capable of autonomously carrying passengers to their destinations, according to weekly business magazine Fast Company. The computerized plane, called "Vahana" after the mythical creatures ridden by Hindu deities, would be able to make trips up to about 50 miles at about half the travel time of conventional automobile taxis and without the use of a runway. The design was fixed with eight propellers and two sets of wings, one of which would tilt upwards to raise the aircraft like a helicopter before moving 90 degrees to propel the aircraft forward. It can reportedly reach speeds of up to 115 miles per hour and carry 1,100 pounds, but was designed for single passenger use. Airbus expected the Vahana would be ready within a decade, but has already begun building its first prototype and was looking to begin conducting test flights by the end of the year.