Sharjah24 – Reuters: Inspired at first by a desire to beat their city's notorious traffic, a group of Cambodian students has designed a prototype drone that they hope can eventually be used to ferry people around Phnom Penh and even help fight fires.

With eight propellers and using a school chair for the pilot's seat, the drone was developed by students at the National Polytechnic Institute of Cambodia (NPIC) on the outskirts of the capital.

The drone, which its development team has dubbed the "NPIC Human Carrier Drone," is currently at an early stage of development and testing. Equipped with four batteries, the prototype drone can carry a pilot weighing up to 60 kg (132 pounds) and fly as high as 4 metres (13.1 feet), and for about 10 minutes.

The prototype drone has taken around $20,000 and three years to build, and the students estimate it needs at least two more years before it's completely ready and fully tested.

Sarin Sereyvatha, head of research and development technology at NPIC, said that the school is currently trying to secure more investment for the project, and that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly delayed development and testing. Once the prototype is finished, however, the school hopes that it can be applied to practical usage in everyday life.

According to Sereyvatha, the school still plans to build a firefighting drone prototype, a project which may cost up to $40,000 dollars. The team is also making improvements to the design and functions of the original carrier drone, such as adding more propellers.