Dubai, a city known for reshaping its landscapes with ingenuity and inventiveness, has once again given us a glimpse into the future of urban travel. In a recent breakthrough, the city announced the completion of its drone-taxi’s first test flight, where the fully automated and pilotless drone soared 200 metres above ground for a compelling span of 5 minutes.
This announcement comes as no surprise since we’ve known about Dubai’s ambitious drone-taxi project for a while now. However, what caught many off guard was the reveal that the drone in the spotlight was designed by German company Volocopter. This came as an interesting twist since we were previously informed that the Chinese Ehang 184, with its impressive showcase at the previous year’s CES, was primed to take center stage.
The Volocopter drone parades an impressive design equipped with 18 propellers, backup batteries, rotors, and two safety parachutes. The cutting-edge technology gives it a helicopter-like appearance and it is engineered to handle flight durations of up to 30 minutes at a time.
Furthering the drone-taxi’s operational capabilities, Dubai has plans to construct “voloports”, serving as drone taxi hubs for passengers to board and disembark. While this is being planned, Volocopter CEO, Florian Reuter, has uneveiled that the full implementation of this ground-breaking transport scheme should come to fruition within the next five years.
According to Reuters, Reuter stated that, “Implementation would see you using your smartphone, having an app, and ordering a Volocopter to the nearest voloport. The Volocopter would autonomously arrive and transport you to your desired destination. It is already capable of flying based on GPS coordinates, and we are pushing to further increase its capabilities to handle unknown obstacles in-flight.”
The inaugural test was conducted under the vigilant eyes of the Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed. While this progresses the Volocopter project, it does not entirely rule out the potential of the Ehang 184. The Chinese drone taxi, armed with four rotors and a commendable weight carrying capacity of up to 100Kg, is still being considered. Its ability to travel at speeds of 160Km/hr for 23 minutes at sea level makes it a noteworthy competitor.
In addition to the German Volocopter and Chinese Ehang, Airbus, the French company, is also stepping into the fray with its drone taxi concept, Pop.Up System. With a design that features a detachable capsule, the Airbus concept diverges from a traditional drone taxi, presenting a model more reminiscent of a flying car.
Dubai’s drone taxi aspirations reflect a future teeming with potential advancements and innovation. As technology further evolves and regulations are meticulously ironed out, we can expect additional trailblazing drone taxi-makers to rise and redefine urban transportation.
[Image Caption: Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum test rides the Volocopter, Dubai’s first drone taxi, on September 25, 2017.]
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