An Shuya shows his patent certificate for "flying car". [Photo/HSW.cn]
Inventing things is not the exclusive domain of scientists, as 78-year-old retiree An Shuya recently proved.
In mid-August, An finally got his patent certificate for a "flying car", which means his efforts over more than a decade had finally paid off.
An was a senior engineer and expert in mechanical manufacturing living in Xi'an, Shaanxi province. Since retirement, he lived an ordinary life with his wife, Li Junlan.
But over a decade ago, An was determined to do something to address the traffic jam of the city, because of a complaint from his wife.
"My wife complained of frequent traffic jams on the road, and asked me to do something to deal with it," said An.
He decided to make a difference.
A screenshot of an instruction page for An Shuya's "flying car". [Official website of China's Intellectual Property Office]
"I wanted to start by changing the way transportation works."
He started research on flying vehicles in 2000. From then on, he spent more than a decade in the library.
"I have read quite a large number of reference books and I wanted to invent a new vehicle that combines cars and small aircraft."
In July 2014, he applied for a patent for his flying car design and was granted the patent this July.
"I can't make a real thing yet because it requires complex and sophisticated manufacturing," An said.
He hopes that someone can help him make the invention a reality, invest in further research and development, and put it into concrete production.
