Dubai has started to test fly two-seater drones that are designed to transport people autonomously. The flights are currently unmanned however the city wants this vehicle to be the world’s first self flying taxi service and has named the drone the Autonomous Air Taxi (AAT). The AAT is powered by electricity and currently has a maximum flight time of 30 minutes and a maximum airspeed of 62mph. The inital test flight had the drone hovering 200 meters high. The drone consists of 18 rotors, optional emergency parachtes, and nine independant battery systems with each battery taking two hours to charge. Dubai plans to significantly reduce the charging time of the drone and to also offer a smartphone app that allows users to book flights and track routes. Dubai has set a target for autonomous transport to account for a quarter of total trips by 2030.
https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/26/16365614/dubai-testing-uncrewed-two-person-flying-taxis-volocopter
Joseph,
Thank you for the interesting article. I watched this TV documentary that talks about this am zing technology (Autonomous Air Taxi (AAT)). This is really a good solution that will solve the transportation issues especially in big cities like New York and Dubai. However, I know that UAE will start this service officially in five years for now because thy need to build a good infrastructure such as stations and air paths that won’t reflect the other air vehicles in the air as well as the Law that will regulate Autonomous Air Taxi operations.
In my opinion, good tests have to be done before start transporting people to lower the risk of failure. I know that these vehicles have a backup system to rescue passagers in case if something goes wrong during the trips.