The NASA and Uber scheme has been dubbed Urban Air Mobility or UAM. The US space agency hopes to introduce a “new future for city transport” through the development of flying personal vehicles. Under Urban Air Mobility, NASA’s engineers will test and develop systems of low altitude flight control.

Abby Tabor, from NASA's Ames Research Center, said: “A new future for city transport is in the works at NASA – a future where both people and packages will take to the air.