You must have heard about flying cars and flying drones a lot of times. But have you ever heard of people-carrying drone taxis? Well, now, we have the world’s first autonomous drone taxi.
Dubai has experienced the first of its kind AAT (Autonomous Air Taxi) flying over 650 ft. of the ground last month. Most importantly, the Dubai Government is now planning to bring these uncrewed flying people-carriers in full operation within the next five year time.
Let’s have a look.
Source: https://hamdan.ae
Made by a German company Volocopter, the six and a half feet tall drone hybrid is actually a two-seat helicopter cockpit attached to a drone-like frame that has 18 rotors to move it upward. As of now, it can cruise at a speed of 30 miles per hour for approx. 30 minutes, on the electric power of nine batteries, that makes it eco-friendly. The prototype can gain a maximum airspeed of up to 60 mph (100 km/h). For passengers’ safety, the AAT is equipped with emergency parachutes.
Source: https://hamdan.ae
Well, Dubai’s Road and Transit Authority is ready to take a leap with the AAT and has already started working on a five-year plan of creating policies and regulations for the flying taxi service. What we know currently is that the Drone Taxi will be managed by a public app and Dubai is planning to conduct a quarter of its total trips with autonomous taxis by the year 2030.
Dubai’s Crown Prince HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed had experienced the AAT ride during the trial. In a statement, he conveyed,
“After
the remarkable success of the first driverless metro in the region, we are glad
to witness today the test flight of the Autonomous Air Taxi. This is another
testament to our commitment to driving positive change. We are constantly
exploring opportunities to serve the community and advance the prosperity and
happiness of society.
Encouraging innovation and adopting the latest
technologies contribute not only to the country’s development but also build
bridges into the future.”
Here is a video shared by the Government of Dubai.
Source: https://hamdan.ae