In February, the online school Udacity will be offering students the opportunity to take classes on flying cars. More specifically dubbed the Flying Car Nanodegree Program, students will be tasked with developing autonomous flight software engineering skills while learning about flying car systems and drone robotics.
The nanodegree, which refers to its short completion time, was created by Stanford University professor Sebastian Thrun, who pioneered Google’s self-driving car project. The degree entails two three-month online terms that will demand at least 15 hours/week of studying. The first term covers aerial robotics while the second deals with smart aerial transportation systems. The total cost for both terms is about $2,100.
Although a flying car initially conjures images of Doc Brown and Marty McFly in an airborne DeLorean, the program focuses on real-world benefits and applications. Just imagine the positive impact of emergency response vehicles that could fly above traffic congestion.
The criteria for being accepted into the class also indicates that it’s no joke. A working knowledge of linear algebra, statistics, basic physics, and intermediate-level programming experience in Python and C++ are all required. Of course, Udacity also offers these courses if you need to bone up before attempting to take flight.