Passenger Drones In Dubai As Soon As this Summer

The city of Dubai plans to have single passenger drones flying through its skies this summer. These drones will be controlled by a 4G Network where all passengers have to do is input their destination and the rest is handled by the drone.

Commercial drones just got a big upgrade: A fleet of passenger-carrying quadcopters could be flying around the city of Dubai by this summer, according to news reports. The city's new transportation option is an egg-shaped, single-passenger drone in the traditional quadcopter style seen in many commercial drones, the Associated Press reported. The Chinese-made Ehang 184 can carry one passenger weighing up to 220 lbs. (100 kilograms) and a small suitcase, according to the AP. Mattar Al Tayer, head of Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority, said during the World Government Summit this week that the city plans to have the drone regularly traversing the city's skies in July.

Pretty cool. It will have a battery that lasts for up to 30 minutes of flight, a range of up to about 30 miles and have an average operating speed of about 60 mph according to the article. So, what says ATS?

www.nbcnews.com...

Seems to me that these things could be a danger to the people on the ground. If one fails in a city with that many people it will hurt someone, and probably the rider too. I would bet the ride would cost a pretty penny, being that they can only go thirty miles, they will have to go back to get charged and also go to the destination to pick up the passenger. Realistically you could just go maybe ten miles on one to accomplish that with a safety factor.

I took flying lessons years ago, I was flying a little cesna at sixty miles per hour and we were moving backwards. I asked the instructor how come it looked like we were going backwards and he said it was because we were. There was an eighty mile per hour headwind. He had me bring it up to a different altitude then we went ahead again. I flew around a small puffy cloud, it was kind of neat. I think he was getting a little irked at my playful tactics.

How does it account for building sizes, bridges etc. No way in hell I'm getting into one of those unless they 3d map the city, Extend that 30 min battery life and do something better a 4g Internet connection.

Good idea but I wouldn't put my dog in that thing.

Yeah, let them work out all the bugs first, over there.

I watched a video on it back when it was still in the design phase. A lot work into redundancy systems for safety. It looks fun and works of GPS navigation. I don't think you can take the wheel.

a reply to: Grimpachi

Fun ends when you fly through a flock of swallows.

Looks awesome Don't know if i would get in one in the next 5 years though. Let them iron out the kinks!

a reply to: PlasticWizard

get some free burger patties on the way home?

top headline of the summer : people killed in passenger drone crash .
drone passenger and pedestrians on street below killed when drone crashes and lands on them .

Well, assume this is just testing a concept.

I cannot see this type of transport having any future outside of strictly controlled environments. Not only is there the risk to people on the ground, but a techical failure will equal death. If your car stalls, then you continue living.

Personally, I would take a taxi. In 20 years that taxi may need a reinforced roof to protect against falling drones.

originally posted by: [post=21903243]paraphi[/post

I cannot see this type of transport having any future outside of strictly controlled environments. Not only is there the risk to people on the ground, but a techical failure will equal death. If your car stalls, then you continue living.

Personally, I would take a taxi. In 20 years that taxi may need a reinforced roof to protect against falling drones.

Isn't this exactly the same thing that people said 120 years ago about the invention of the car, or 185 years ago about the introduction of trains?

The next 25 years is going to see a revolution in transport so big you
cant even imagine. Land, sea, air, space and probably a few mediums in between.