[Startup24+] ThisIsEngineering "Flying Cars in Urban Areas Will Be Seen by 2025"

Drone and Robotics Specialist TIE CEO Hong Yujeong
Signs MOU with Gangwon Province for Flight Tests Next Year
Unveils One-Hand Operable Drone...Global Market Attention
Strong Talent Growth Foundation...Selected as 'Pre-Unicorn Company'

"Starting in 2025, we plan to begin production and pre-orders of flying cars. Once flying cars, which allow easy and fast travel, become commercialized, South Korea will become a one-day living zone."

This is the ambition of This is Engineering (TIE), a drone and robotics specialist company, embarking on a new business venture with the goal of "making the safest flying car in the world." They aim to create a world where people travel nationwide through sky routes. A flying car, literally a car that flies in the sky, is also called a Personal Air Vehicle (PAV). Hong Yoo-jung, CEO of TIE, said, "We are focusing on developing autonomous flight technology equipped with safety features to prevent collisions, crashes, or other accidents under any circumstances," adding, "The core is that the aircraft, with a flight path input, avoids obstacles while finding the optimal route." Based on their autonomous drone technology, the company intends to safely land passengers at their desired locations without a pilot onboard the flying car.

TIE has signed a business agreement with Gangwon Province and is developing a test aircraft for flying cars. A flight test is scheduled for next year. This aligns with the Korean Urban Air Mobility (K-UAM) development plan led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, targeting commercialization in 2025.

Drones Used in Various Fields... Birth of ‘SHIFT RED’

CEO Hong graduated from Seoul National University’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and founded TIE in March 2016. Since university, she had a strong interest in drones, which are "flying robots." She focused on the fact that unlike cars, drones are less constrained by space or infrastructure and can be a fast and efficient means of transportation. She was also attracted by the idea that drones could perform repetitive tasks in places difficult for humans to access.

Hong said, "The fields where drones can be utilized are endless," and added, "I decided to start this company to change human daily life based on robotics and aviation technology." The company name, This is Engineering, reflects their commitment to presenting technologies that people truly need. Hong said, "Rather than launching expensive products packed with various technologies that are not practically used, we pursue applying useful technologies needed in daily life to our products and services."

Concept image of a personal flying vehicle (flying car) under development by ThisisEngineering.

In 2019, TIE surprised the market by unveiling the SHIFT RED drone, which can be controlled with one hand. It changed the perception of drones, which had been considered the domain of experts due to their high price and complicated operation. Hong explained that SHIFT RED was "designed so that anyone can easily experience and enjoy drone flight anytime, anywhere." Moving the control ring worn on the thumb left and right to pilot the drone made it seem easy even for beginners. It supports various types of video shooting, weighs only 93g, can withstand strong winds, and is not easily broken or damaged.

Hong said, "Right after the launch of SHIFT RED, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, and overseas companies that had placed orders lost contact, causing difficulties," but added, "As the economy recovered, inquiries came from the U.S. and European countries, and we realized that not many companies have this level of technology." He said, "I always think about what new benefits we can provide to people," and expressed, "We want to be a first mover, not a fast follower."

Delivery Service with Autonomous Flight Drones

The drone delivery service (DDS) using autonomous flight technology is also expected to materialize soon. Regarding this, CEO Hong is preparing a pilot service for the first half of next year. In August, Kim Jong-young was appointed as the head of business to accelerate the DDS project. Kim has over 20 years of experience in marketing and logistics. He was responsible for marketing and retail sales at DHL Korea, a global comprehensive logistics company, and led marketing and global courier business at CJ Logistics.

Excellent developer talent is also a driving force for corporate growth. Over 80% of the 50 employees are developers. It has become common for talents from large companies like Samsung to join TIE. CEO Hong said, "It seems to be a good motivation because they can participate in trendy and hot technology development and create products based on it." Employees vividly enjoy the process of turning projects that started with the question 'Is this really possible?' into reality. Hong advised juniors dreaming of starting a business, "If you start a business just to make a lot of money, you should think again," and added, "I hope you start a business when you have a dream you want to achieve or a product you really want to create." Last year, TIE was selected as a ‘pre-unicorn’ with high potential to grow into a unicorn (a company valued at over 1 trillion KRW). Through this, they can receive up to 10 billion KRW in special guarantees from the Korea Technology Finance Corporation.