How Autonomous Air Taxis Use Hand Gestures and 3D Mapping
A system for operating air taxis that uses hand gestures for control and crowd-sourced 3D mapping to navigate urban environments.
Original patent title: “Air transportation systems and methods”
A system for operating air taxis that uses hand gestures for control and crowd-sourced 3D mapping to navigate urban environments. Granted to Individual in 2022 with 11 claims and 1 forward citation.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes a method for operating personal air vehicles, specifically focusing on how a passenger interacts with the craft and how the craft perceives its surroundings. It features a propulsion unit that moves between a lift-off position and a lateral flight position to transition from vertical takeoff to forward movement. The system interprets specific hand, palm, or finger gestures captured by internal cameras to issue flight commands. Simultaneously, it builds a 3D map of the airspace by combining sensor data from multiple vehicles and 5G infrastructure, allowing for real-time navigation in a 3D environment.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover voice-activated flight controls or physical joystick-based steering systems.
- Does not cover ground-based autonomous vehicles that lack the specific propulsion-shifting mechanism described.
- Does not cover traditional aircraft that rely solely on pre-programmed flight paths without dynamic gesture-based input.
- Does not cover flight systems that operate without the use of 5G or edge-based processing for mapping.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The patent proposes 'crowd-sourcing' 3D maps from a fleet of air vehicles, effectively turning every taxi into a sensor node that keeps the entire network's map updated in real-time.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Autonomous electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis
Urban air traffic management systems
5G-enabled edge computing for robotics
Why it matters
The bigger picture
As urban air mobility (UAM) moves from concept to reality, the challenge of intuitive vehicle control and shared environmental awareness becomes critical. This patent attempts to solve the 'pilot interface' problem for non-pilots by using natural gestures, while leveraging the 5G network to offload the heavy computational burden of 3D mapping from the vehicle itself.
Filed
October 8, 2020
Granted
November 29, 2022
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
The technology aligns with the development goals of companies like Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, and Volocopter, which are currently testing eVTOL platforms. These companies are actively exploring how to integrate 5G and sensor fusion to enable autonomous or semi-autonomous flight in dense urban areas.
Market impact
This patent contributes to the growing body of intellectual property surrounding the 'flying car' infrastructure. It highlights a shift toward treating air taxis as connected IoT devices that rely on external network intelligence rather than just onboard hardware, a trend that is essential for reducing the weight and cost of future air vehicles.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes a method for operating personal air vehicles, specifically focusing on how a passenger interacts with the craft and how the craft perceives its surroundings. It features a propulsion unit that moves between a lift-off position and a lateral flight position to transition from vertical takeoff to forward movement. The system interprets specific hand, palm, or finger gestures captured by internal cameras to issue flight commands. Simultaneously, it builds a 3D map of the airspace by combining sensor data from multiple vehicles and 5G infrastructure, allowing for real-time navigation in a 3D environment.
The clever bit
The patent proposes 'crowd-sourcing' 3D maps from a fleet of air vehicles, effectively turning every taxi into a sensor node that keeps the entire network's map updated in real-time.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover voice-activated flight controls or physical joystick-based steering systems.
- Does not cover ground-based autonomous vehicles that lack the specific propulsion-shifting mechanism described.
- Does not cover traditional aircraft that rely solely on pre-programmed flight paths without dynamic gesture-based input.
- Does not cover flight systems that operate without the use of 5G or edge-based processing for mapping.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
6/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
7/20
Moderate scope
Recency
20/20
Granted within 5 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$32K – $104K
Midpoint $65K · 14.3 yr remaining · industry ×0.9
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
11 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Tran, H. (2022). How Autonomous Air Taxis Use Hand Gestures and 3D Mapping (U.S. Patent No. 11,513,606). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11513606/universal-control
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Autonomous Air Taxis Use Hand Gestures and 3D Mapping cover?
A system for operating air taxis that uses hand gestures for control and crowd-sourced 3D mapping to navigate urban environments.
Who owns patent US 11513606?
Individual owns this patent, granted in 2022.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on November 29, 2042, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 11513606 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 1 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
As urban air mobility (UAM) moves from concept to reality, the challenge of intuitive vehicle control and shared environmental awareness becomes critical. This patent attempts to solve the 'pilot interface' problem for non-pilots by using natural gestures, while leveraging the 5G network to offload the heavy computational burden of 3D mapping from the vehicle itself.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover voice-activated flight controls or physical joystick-based steering systems.
Same assignee
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