Dr Mark Cutler has a PhD in Robotics and Autonomous Systems from MIT. He has researched multiple aspects of UAV technology—from designing and building his own novel quadrotor for aerobatic flight to developing machine learning algorithms for autonomous systems. Mark is currently working for the California-based startup Kitty Hawk backed by Google founder Larry Page.

At Kitty Hawk, Mark is applying his expertise in rotorcraft to create the next generation of vehicles for everyday flight. Kitty Hawk are currently designing, testing and building all-electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles for work and play. Their first product, the Cora, is an air taxi that could one day bring us an UBER-like service for the sky, and Kitty Hawk is currently in the first stages of testing the Cora in New Zealand. In this episode of the Aerospace Engineering Podcast, Mark and I talk about:

his diverse background in UAV's
the explosion of hobbyist rotorcraft
the promises of machine learning for autonomous flight
and the future of personalised flying

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This episode is brought to you by KDC Resource—the experts in engineering recruitment for the aerospace and defence sector. For more than 15 years, KDC has been matching the very best engineers with the biggest names in the industry; from Airbus Group and GKN Aerospace to Cobham and BAE Systems. KDC’s deep talent pool of aerospace engineers means they are perfectly poised to meet your particular needs with the ideal candidate. In a time of unprecedented engineering skills shortage, KDC Resource will give you an edge over your competitors in the recruitment market.

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Selected Links from the Episode

Contact Mark through his website
Mark's quadcopter on Gizmodo
Kitty Hawk and career opportunities
A video of Kitty Hawk's Cora
A Tech Insider video on Kitty Hawk's Flyer
The New York Times on Kitty Hawk's flying cars
A vision for flying taxis