Passenger Drones to Begin Service This Summer in Dubai
Jackie Reddy February 21, 2017
The self-driving craft will be part of a wider scheme to roll-out driverless transport across the emirate.
Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) has revealed that passenger drones could be flying above the city as early as this summer. The announcement was made at the World Government Summit, which is being hosted by the city this week.
Dubai has chosen the Chinese-made Ehang 184 drone for this service. Though itself pilotless, the craft, which has eight legs and four propellers, will be monitored via a ground-based control room. AP reports that the drones are designed to hold only a single passenger at a time, but can take up to 220 pounds of luggage.
The idea is that a boarding passenger will enter the craft and simply select their destination via a touchscreen. These drones will then fly automatically and are capable of reaching a top speed of up to 100 mph. The egg-shaped craft have a battery life that allows for up to 30 minutes of flight and they will have a range of 31 miles.
The RTA’s chairman, Mattar Al Tayer, confirmed the city’s plans. “I am glad to inform you that hopefully we will be able to have these drones available starting July 2017,” he stated. The introduction of these drones is part of a wider transport strategy within the emirate. By 2030, Dubai hopes that a quarter of all journeys undertaken within its limits will be via some form of smart, driverless transport.
Elon Musk, founder, CEO and CTO of SpaceX, offered his insight and support, saying, “My guess is in 10 years, it will be very unusual for cars to be not fully autonomous. Almost all cars will be capable of full autonomy in about 10 years. Tesla cars that are made today have the sensor system for full autonomy, it is mostly just a question of upgrading the software.”
[Photo: AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili]
I praise the Dubai sheikh for always being at the edge of technology (or for making publicity). I'm eager to try this drone this summer though many practical questions remain unanswered. Apart from security and range, I wonder how they will manage air-conditioning ... Anyway, I'm much more scared about the driving skills of some, than by the propellers of such drones.
...no protective shrouds around those four sets of contra rotating propellers? That is very, very scary.