Inside a brand-new prototyping lab, students are working with NASA to convert airplanes into electric aircraft. The idea is to create a new kind of "air taxi," quiet, battery-powered, and designed to fly over the city much like a helicopter.

"This is an airplane that we are converting into an electric aircraft in a major partnership with NASA," said Brian German, a Georgia Tech aerospace engineering professor. "So you might be able to fly from Midtown Atlanta down to the airport — fly over traffic, similar to a helicopter."