Technology

Flying car now on sale for $190,000

Published

2 days ago

February 9, 2026

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A future with flying cars no longer lives just in concept videos. It now lives in Palo Alto, and if you have about $200,000 plus patience, you can reserve one today. The company behind that future vehicle is Pivotal, a California company that has quietly spent more than a decade turning a radical idea into a real aircraft. Its latest creation, called Helix, is now open for reservations, and delivery could be less than a year away. Yes, this is an actual flying car you can buy.

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How Pivotal turned a secret flying car into a real product

THE WORLD’S FIRST FLYING CAR IS READY FOR TAKEOFF

The Helix flying car cruises at about 62 mph and operates in unregulated airspace under FAA Part 103 rules. (Pivotal)

Pivotal’s story started in 2009, when founder Marcus Leng began developing an electric aircraft that could take off vertically without gasoline. In 2011, Leng became the first person to fly the real thing. He called it BlackFly and worked on it quietly for years. By 2014, the company relocated to the Bay Area. In 2018, it finally stepped out of stealth and revealed BlackFly to the public. That second-generation design became the foundation for Helix, the aircraft Pivotal now offers for sale. Leadership shifted in 2022 when Ken Karklin took over as CEO. Under his watch, the company moved from experimental flights to customer reservations and structured training.

What the Pivotal Helix flying car actually is

Helix is a single-seat, electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, often called an eVTOL. Unlike helicopters, it has fixed wings, while traditional airplanes need a runway to get airborne. Instead, Helix takes off and lands vertically and runs entirely on electricity. As a result, it falls under the FAA’s Part 103 ultralight category, the same regulatory class as a hang glider. That distinction matters because it means you do not need a pilot’s license to fly it.

At about 355 pounds empty, Helix is designed to fly below 200 feet in unregulated airspace. It cruises at roughly 62 mph and offers around 30 minutes of flight time per charge. Meanwhile, charging takes about 75 minutes using a 240-volt outlet.

How much the Helix flying car costs to own

Helix starts at $190,000. Buyers can also add a transport trailer for $21,000 and a charger for $1,100. To reserve one, customers place a $50,000 deposit. According to Karklin, buyers who reserve today could receive their aircraft in nine to 12 months. Pivotal says it has already received more than a year’s worth of reservations.

Pivotal says it does not publicly share exact sales figures, but the company says interest remains strong. “While Pivotal doesn’t share specific order numbers, we have a healthy backlog of orders, and customers who place a deposit today can expect delivery within 9-12 months.”

How long it takes to learn to fly the Helix

Training takes place at Pivotal’s Palo Alto headquarters and at the Monterey Bay Academy Airport. The process includes passing the FAA knowledge test, completing ground school and learning how to control, maintain, transport and assemble the aircraft. Most customers complete training in under two weeks. More than 50 people have already been trained to fly Pivotal aircraft. Some are customers. Others are employees.

Why Pivotal says the Helix flying car is built for safety

Helix was designed with simplicity in mind. It has only 18 moving parts and relies heavily on redundancy to prevent system failures. The aircraft has been independently evaluated by the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association. Pivotal’s quality management system is also certified by SAE International, which sets global aviation safety standards. Noise is another concern people often raise. During takeoff and landing, Helix sounds roughly like a couple of leaf blowers. Once airborne, people on the ground may not hear it at all.

Pivotal says years of real-world flight data across its fleet continue to shape how the aircraft performs. “Across our fleet, and including privately owned BlackFly aircraft, Pivotal eVTOLs have completed over 9000 flights to date — of those 2500+ have had a pilot onboard.” That history, the company says, comes without safety incidents. “We have a flawless flight record and a flawless safety record.” The company also points to what it has learned from connected aircraft systems. “We learn so much from these cloud-connected aircraft.” According to Pivotal, that data has had a direct impact on the Helix design. “Most importantly, we have been able to enhance the experience, make flying simpler, safer and more enjoyable as we move into production.”

Who is already flying Pivotal’s flying cars today

A small group of early-access customers already owns and flies BlackFly aircraft, the predecessor to Helix. One of them is Tim Lum, a Washington state resident who bought his aircraft in 2023. Since then, Lum has completed about 1,200 flights in more than 100 locations across the U.S.

Despite not being an FAA-certified pilot, he regularly takes off and lands on private land with permission and uses small private airports. In addition, Lum tows the aircraft coast to coast and shares it with trained family members and friends. For him, flying is deeply personal. According to Lum, being in the air helps clear his mind and opens doors in ways money cannot.

To understand what it feels like to fly Helix for the first time, we asked Pivotal what new pilots say after their initial flights.

“First-time pilots – especially those without any aviation background – often talk about the unforgettable joy of their initial flight,” a Pivotal spokesperson told CyberGuy. “The huge smiles on every face say it all.” They say that excitement comes from more than simply being airborne. “They describe the thrill of being up in the air, feeling truly one with the aircraft, and seeing the world from an entirely new perspective.” The company says many first-time pilots are also surprised by how the aircraft feels in flight. “Many are surprised by how freeing it feels to fly, particularly because sitting at the center of gravity creates a sensation unlike traditional airplanes – more balanced, more immersive and incredibly intuitive.”

Not everyone is sold on flying cars

As with any new aircraft technology, concerns remain. Aviation groups have raised questions about crowded airspace and how communities will respond as more vehicles take to the sky. Pivotal says it approaches this differently than air taxi companies. While others focus on urban shuttles, Helix is built for single-person recreation, short-hop travel and specialized missions.

NEW PERSONAL EVTOL PROMISES PERSONAL FLIGHT UNDER $40K

Noise and airspace concerns often come up when people hear about personal eVTOL aircraft. Pivotal says those concerns are central to how it designs and operates its vehicles. “At Pivotal, we design light eVTOL aircraft for the real world – where people live, work and play- and that includes addressing community and regulatory concerns around airspace use and noise.” The company says trust matters as much as technology. “Earning public trust is essential to making electric aviation part of everyday life, and noise is a key factor.”

Helix breaks down for transport and fits into a trailer, allowing owners to tow it and fly in different locations across the country. (Pivotal)

Pivotal says direct engagement helps address those concerns. “We engage directly with communities through events and demonstrations across the country, giving stakeholders the opportunity to experience the aircraft firsthand.” The company also points to independent testing. “Our aircraft are quiet by design. Independent NASA testing shows the Pivotal BlackFly produces approximately 70 dBA of flyover noise at 100 feet, a level aligned with how sound is perceived by the human ear.”

Federal rules also limit where ultralight aircraft can operate. “Under FAA Part 103 regulations, ultralight aircraft are allowed to operate in uncontrolled airspace, including public and private land – close to 90% of the country.” Still, Pivotal notes that there are clear boundaries. “However, ultralight aircraft are not permitted to fly over congested areas, further reducing any concerns around noise.”

How Pivotal plans to use Helix beyond personal flying

Pivotal plans to operate across three business segments: personal ownership, public safety and defense. In 2023, the company leased eight aircraft to an innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force and defense technology firm MTSI. That testing helped inform the latest version of Helix. Karklin believes recreational flying and short-distance travel should not be dismissed. He argues that those use cases may drive adoption faster than large urban systems.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Flying cars still sound wild when you say it out loud, yet Helix shows this idea has moved well past hype and headlines. This is a real aircraft, flown by real people, with real rules and real limitations. For most people, Helix will remain something to watch rather than buy. The price alone puts it out of reach. Even so, its existence matters. It shows that personal flight no longer belongs only to licensed pilots, airfields and aviation clubs. Pivotal took a slow and deliberate path to get here. That patience may be why Helix feels less like a stunt and more like a glimpse of what comes next. Just as electric cars reshaped expectations before becoming mainstream, personal eVTOL aircraft are starting at the top and working their way down. The question now is not whether flying cars are possible. It is how comfortable we become sharing the sky when they are no longer rare.

Designed for recreation and short-hop travel, Helix offers a new way to experience flight without a pilot’s license. (Pivotal)

Would you trust yourself in a single-seat flying car, or does the sky still feel like a line we should not cross? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

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Technology

Uber Eats adds AI assistant to help with grocery shopping

Published

1 hour ago

February 11, 2026

Press Room

Uber Eats adds AI assistant to help with grocery shopping

Uber announced a new AI feature called “Cart Assistant” for grocery shopping in its Uber Eats app.

The new feature works a couple different ways. You can use text prompts, as you would with any other AI chatbot, to ask it to build a grocery list for you. Or you can upload a picture of your shopping list and ask it to populate your cart with all your favorite items, based on your order history. You can be as generic as you — “milk, eggs, cereal” — and the bot will make a list with all your preferred brands.

And that’s just to start out. Uber says in the coming months, Cart Assistant will add more features, including “full recipe inspiration, meal plans, and the ability to ask follow up questions, and expand to retail partners.”

But like all chatbots, Uber acknowledges that Cart Assistant may make mistakes, and urges users to double-check and confirm the results before placing any orders.

It will also only work at certain grocery stores, with Uber announcing interoperability at launch with Albertsons, Aldi, CVS, Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts, Safeway, Walgreen, and Wegmans. More stores will be added in the future, the company says.

Uber has a partnership with OpenAI to integrate Uber Eats into its own suite of apps. But Uber spokesperson Richard Foord declined to say whether the AI company’s technology was powering the new chatbot in Uber Eats. “Cart Assistant draws on publicly available LLM models as well as Uber’s own AI stack,” Foord said in an email.

Uber has been racing to add more AI-driven features to its apps, including robotaxis with Waymo and sidewalk delivery robots in several cities. The company also recently revived its AI Labs to collaborate with its partners on building better products using delivery and customer data.

Technology

Humanoid robots are getting smaller, safer and closer

Published

2 hours ago

February 11, 2026

Press Room

Humanoid robots are getting smaller, safer and closer

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For decades, humanoid robots have lived behind safety cages in factories or deep inside research labs. Fauna Robotics, a New York-based robotics startup, says that era is ending.

The company has introduced Sprout, a compact humanoid robot designed from the ground up to operate around people. Instead of adapting an industrial robot for public spaces, Fauna built Sprout specifically for homes, schools, offices, retail spaces and entertainment venues.

“Sprout is a humanoid platform designed from first principles to operate around people,” the company said. “This is a new category of robot built for the spaces where we live, work, and play.” That philosophy drives nearly every design choice behind Sprout.

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ROBOTS LEARN 1,000 TASKS IN ONE DAY FROM A SINGLE DEMO

Sprout is designed to operate safely around people, even in shared spaces like homes and classrooms where close interaction matters. (Fauna Robotics)

Why Fauna believes humanoid robots belong beyond factories

Fauna Robotics’ founders started with a simple idea. If robots are going to become part of daily life, they must move naturally around humans and earn trust through safety and reliability. Most humanoid robots today focus on industrial efficiency or controlled research environments. Fauna is targeting a different reality. Service industries now make up the majority of the global workforce. At the same time, labor shortages continue to grow in healthcare, education, hospitality and eldercare. Sprout is designed to explore how humanoid robots could support those spaces without creating new safety risks or operational headaches.

HUMANOID ROBOT MAKES ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY BY DESIGNING A BUILDING

The robot uses onboard sensing and navigation to move confidently through indoor spaces without needing safety cages or fixed paths. (Fauna Robotics)

Sprout is a safety-first humanoid robot built for people

Standing about 3.5 feet tall, Sprout fits naturally into human spaces instead of towering over them. At roughly 50 pounds, it carries less kinetic energy during movement or contact, which makes close interaction safer by design. Lightweight materials and a soft-touch exterior further reduce risk. The design avoids sharp edges and limits pinch points, allowing the robot to operate near people without safety cages. Quiet motors and smooth movement also reduce noise and help Sprout feel less intimidating in shared spaces.

Rather than complex multi-fingered hands, Sprout uses simple one-degree-of-freedom grippers. This approach lowers weight and improves durability while still supporting practical tasks like object fetching, hand-offs, and basic shared-space interaction. Flexible arms and legs allow the robot to walk, kneel, and crawl. Sprout can also fall and recover without damaging sensitive components. In everyday environments, where conditions are rarely perfect, that resilience matters.

Under the hood, Sprout uses a highly articulated body with 29 degrees of freedom to support smooth movement and expressive gestures. Onboard NVIDIA compute provides the processing power needed for perception, navigation, and human-robot interaction without relying on external systems. A battery that supports several hours of active use makes Sprout practical for research, development, and real-world testing in shared human spaces.

Built for natural human-robot interaction

Sprout’s expressive face helps it communicate in a way people can quickly understand. Simple facial cues show what the robot is doing and how it is feeling, so you do not need technical knowledge to follow along. The robot can walk, kneel, crawl, and recover from falls, which helps it move naturally in everyday spaces. Because its motors are quiet, and its movements are smooth, Sprout feels less startling and more predictable when it is nearby. Behind the scenes, Sprout supports teleoperation, mapping and navigation. These tools give developers the building blocks to create interactions that feel intuitive and human, not stiff or mechanical.

ELON MUSK TEASES A FUTURE RUN BY ROBOTS

Instead of complex hands, Sprout uses simple, durable grippers that prioritize safety while still handling everyday tasks like hand-offs and object pickup. (Fauna Robotics)

A modular software platform for rapid development

Sprout runs on a modular software system that is built to grow over time. Developers get stable controls along with tools for deployment, monitoring, and data collection, so they can focus on building new ideas instead of managing the robot itself. As new abilities improve, Fauna can add them through software updates rather than redesigning the hardware. This keeps costs down and helps Sprout stay useful longer as technology evolves. Fauna also kept sensing simple. Sprout uses head-mounted RGB-D sensors instead of wrist cameras, which reduces complexity and maintenance. At the same time, it still gives the robot a strong perception for moving and working safely in shared spaces.

Who Sprout is designed for

Fauna positions Sprout as a developer-first humanoid platform rather than a finished consumer product. It is designed for developers who want to build and test applications on accessible hardware with full SDK access and built-in movement, perception, navigation, and expression. At the same time, enterprises can use Sprout to create next-generation AI applications that operate safely in places like retail, hospitality, and offices. Researchers can also use the platform to study locomotion, manipulation, autonomy, and human-robot interaction without building a robot from scratch. Together, these uses point to real-world deployments across retail and hospitality, consumer and home settings, research and education, and entertainment experiences.

What this means for you

Even if you never plan to build a robot, Sprout signals a shift in how robotics companies think about everyday life. Humanoid robots are no longer being designed only for factories and labs. Companies like Fauna are betting that the future of robotics depends on safety, trust, and natural interaction in human spaces. If successful, platforms like Sprout could lead to robots that assist in classrooms, support hospitality staff, help researchers move faster and create interactive experiences that feel less robotic and more human.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Sprout is not trying to replace workers or flood homes with machines overnight. Instead, Fauna is laying the groundwork for a future where humanoid robots earn their place through careful design and responsible deployment. By prioritizing safety, simplicity, and developer collaboration, Sprout represents a quieter but potentially more meaningful step forward in humanoid robotics. The real test will be how developers and researchers use the platform and whether people feel comfortable sharing space with robots like Sprout.

Would you trust a humanoid robot to work beside you in a school, hotel, or office if it were designed for safety first? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Technology

Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter is stepping down after six years

Published

13 hours ago

February 10, 2026

Press Room

Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter is stepping down after six years

Robert Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics, announced on Tuesday that he is stepping down from his role effective immediately and leaving the company on February 27th, as previously reported by A3. Under Playter’s leadership, Boston Dynamics navigated its way through an acquisition from Softbank that brought it to Hyundai in 2021, and it launched a new all-electric version of its humanoid Atlas robot in 2024. Just a few days ago, the company posted another video of its research Atlas robots attempting tumbling passes and outdoor runs as more enterprise-ready editions start to roll out.

Boston Dynamics announced at CES last month that Atlas robots will begin working in Hyundai’s car plants starting in 2028, as the robotics field has become increasingly crowded by competitors like Tesla and Figure, as well as AI companies with “world model” tech built for robots.

Playter has been at Boston Dynamics for over 30 years and has served as CEO since 2020, replacing the company’s original CEO, Marc Raibert. Boston Dynamics CFO Amanda McMaster will serve as interim CEO while the company’s board of directors searches for Playter’s replacement.

“Boston Dynamics has been the ride of a lifetime. What this place has become has exceeded anything I could have ever imagined all those years ago in our funky lab in the basement of the MIT Media Lab,” Playter said in a letter to employees, which was shared with The Verge. He also highlighted the company’s successes with its Spot, Stretch, and Atlas robots.

“From the earliest days of hopping robots, to the world’s first quadrupeds, to spearheading the entire humanoid industry, Playter made his mark as a pioneer of innovation. He transformed Boston Dynamics from a small research and development lab into a successful business that now proudly calls itself the global leader in mobile robotics,” Nikolas Noel, VP of marketing and communications at Boston Dynamics, said in a statement to The Verge, adding, “He will be sorely missed, but we hope he enjoys some well-deserved time off. Thanks Rob.”