Udacity Takes Off: Launching the First “Nanodegree” in Flying Car Engineering
If you thought that autonomous cars were the pinnacle of modern tech, think again. Sebastian Thrun, the visionary behind the self‑driving car craze, has swapped the roads for the skies. In late February, Udacity – the Silicon Valley online school he co‑founded in 2012 – will roll out what it calls the world’s first nanodegree focused on flying cars. That’s right: you’ll soon be able to earn a breezy diploma in aerial engineering, all from your couch.
Why This Is the New Hot Topic
“Cloud‑based autopilots are set to skyrocket,” Thrun told us. Companies from Airbus to Amazon, and even Uber, already have their sights set on autonomous aerial vehicles. He predicts that in just a few years, the conversation around flying cars will dominate the tech scene, potentially eclipsing even self‑driving cars in the public imagination.
What to Expect: Two 12‑Week Terms, $1,200 Each
- Aerial Robotics – Dive into the mechanics that keep an aircraft aloft and make it smarter.
- Intelligent Air Systems – Learn how AI and machine‑learning algorithms help aircraft navigate without human intervention.
These short, intensive courses promise a certification that would normally take months or even years to earn – all for a fraction of the price of a traditional degree.
Hiring the Future: A Talent Gap that Must Be Filled
Thrun’s main motivation? He says the biggest challenge isn’t brilliant talent – it’s simply a learning pipeline that can’t keep up. “There are plenty of smart folks out there, but the missing link is education,” explains the former Stanford professor who helped launch Google’s now‑renamed Waymo.
The Running Numbers
Udacity’s self‑driving car program currently counts 50,000 applicants since 2016. Thrun believes the new flying‑car curriculum could attract at least 10,000 eager learners when it opens in February. He’s keeping his eyes on the future, of course: he’s still an advisor at Alphabet Inc and has deep ties with co‑founder Larry Page.
Flying Cars: The Reality Versus the Fantasy
Page is an investor in Kitty Hawk Corp, the two‑year‑old startup dreaming of personal flight. Thrun, now CEO of Kitty Hawk, admits that the company’s prototype, dubbed “the Flyer,” is more of a solo drone than a full‑blown car. It can take off vertically, land vertically, and doesn’t even need wheels.
“Flying car is a bit of a marketing buzzword,” he jokes. “More of a sweet‑enough image to grab attention.” Still, the sentiment is clear: “Science fiction is turning into science fact,” he says. With giants like Google and Amazon already investing, the next two years are bound to be an electrifying boom in autonomous aerial tech.
Bottom Line
If you’re a tech enthusiast craving the next big thing, Udacity’s flying‑car nanodegree might just be your ticket to the skies. Strap in, because this journey is taking off faster than you can say “pilotless!”
