“Encouraging innovation and adopting the latest technologies contribute not only to the country’s development but also build bridges into the future.”
Dubai has announced the first test flight for its taxi drone, which saw the driverless flying transport service hover around 200 metres above the ground during a five-minute flight.
The taxi drone was designed by German company Volocopter, and resembles a two-seater helicopter topped by a hoop equipped with 18 propellers, designed for 30-minute flights at maximum.
The first trial of the drone taxi took place near Jumeirah Beach Park on Monday, in a ceremony overseen by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.The drone also comes with back-up batteries, rotors, and two parachutes in case of flight failures.
Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Crown Prince of Dubai witnessed the maiden flight of the Autonomous Air Taxi (AAT), according to a statement by Dubai Government Media Office.
“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,” said Shaikh Hamdan in a statement.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has teamed up with German drone firm Volocopter to develop the two-seater vehicle, officially known as the Autonomous Air Taxi (AAT).
Powered by clean electricity, the AAT has a maximum flight time of 30 minutes at a cruise speed of 50 km/h, and a maximum airspeed of 100 km/h.
