Dubai's autonomous flying taxis have finally been cleared for takeoff.
The self-styled "Future City" just held the first test flight for its autonomous aerial taxi (AAT) service, showing off the craft that will ferry passengers around the city for what the Dubai Road and Transport Authority (RTA) is calling the world's first self-flying taxi service.
The two-seat electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle flew for about five minutes at heights of around 200 meters, according to Reuters. There were no passengers in the craft for the trial flight, which was attended by the city's transportation authorities and Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed.
The craft is made by German aerospace company Volocopter after a deal with the RTA back in June. The current prototype has 18 rotors and nine independent battery systems. It can handle about 30 minutes of flight time at a cruise speed (around 30 mph), but it can zip up to a top speed of 100 km/h (about 62 mph). The RTA says those specs should "evolve" in the actual production version of the AATs, so they could be faster and fly longer by the time the program has developed beyond the trial phase.
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
The trial flight is the first step in a proposed five-year collaboration between the the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority and the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority to establish a suitable framework for the taxi service. Those efforts will focus on settling legal and policy concerns like certifications, along with more practical matters like identifying the aerial routes the crafts will fly and designing the take-off and landing points around the city.
If all goes according to schedule, Dubai could be filled with autonomous flying taxis as early as 2022. The RTA's project might not be the only show in town, however; Uber has tabbed the city as one of its targets to launch eVOTL service (in partnership with the RTA), with a goal to debut a working prototype or even conduct passenger flights during the Expo 2020 event.
TopicsInnovations
(责任编辑：百科)
Dressage horse dancing to 'Smooth' by Santana wins gold for chillest horse
Secret Santas: Inside the hidden online world of St. Nicks
Here's how the White House staff pranked President Obama for the holidays
Robots will walk you and drive you: Hyundai reveals its futureUber's $100M settlement over drivers as contractors may not be enoughCat gets stuck in the most awkward position ever
Anyone with a cat can tell you that although their cat's claws are impressive scratching and hunting
...[详细]iPhone leak claims three new models, one codenamed 'Ferrari'
We're still over nine months from the unveiling of the iPhone 8 (or 7S, or just plain iPhone, or wha
...[详细]Watch YouTubers give classic holiday songs a festive twist
YouTube artists are singing for Sing.Mike Tompkins, Karmin, UsTheDuo, Chloe x Halle, KRNFX, Peter Ho
...[详细]
Australians know how to protest. Hundreds of people gathered Saturday local time at Parliament House
...[详细]Here's George Takei chilling in zero gravity for the 'Star Trek' anniversary
There's nothing like good friends, good memories and zero gravity to celebrate a milestone. 。In honor
...[详细]Generous man spends daughter's wedding money to build houses for the homeless
In a deviation from the norm, a wealthy businessman in India chose to celebrate his daughter’s
...[详细]iPhone leak claims three new models, one codenamed 'Ferrari'
We're still over nine months from the unveiling of the iPhone 8 (or 7S, or just plain iPhone, or wha
...[详细]iPhone leak claims three new models, one codenamed 'Ferrari'
We're still over nine months from the unveiling of the iPhone 8 (or 7S, or just plain iPhone, or wha
...[详细]Over 82,000 evacuate as Blue Cut fire rapidly spreads in southern California
A rapidly spreading wildfire in southern California's Cajon Pass has grown in hot, dry weather, thre
...[详细]Acer is done selling smartphones in the world's fastest growing market
Even as smartphone brands are charting plans to aggressively expand their businesses in India, Acer
...[详细]Aly Raisman catches Simone Biles napping on a plane like a champion
In Australia, a traveler's Christmas is spent down at the beach
