Autonomous taxi drones

Dubai could be the world’s most technology-adaptive country 

Self-driving single occupancy drone taxi will be flying passengers across Dubai from July 2017. This was informed by the city’s Roads and Transport Authority. Dubai’s ruling family has predicted that by 2030, a quarter of all journeys in a city state, will be autonomous.

Capabilities of the Drone Taxi

• Dubai will use Chinese firm Ehang’s drones, Ehang 184. The drones take off vertically and can remain in flight up to 30 minutes on a single charge. It operates within an area of 40 to 50 Km. It can carry a 100 Kg passenger with a small suitcase and has a top speed of 100 miles per hour.
• Passengers may chose from predetermined destinations available on a tablet fitted inside the drone.
• The Ehang 184 drone is auto-piloted, directed and monitored via a command centre.

Is Autonomous Driving Secure-proof?

Autonomous vehicles and aircrafts are connected to the  Internet; raising the critical question of cyber security. Will autonomous driving software become robust enough, to prevent inadvertent or malicious attempts, to interfere with the program?

So far, cyber specialists have been able to assume control over the Jeep and Tesla autonomous-driving vehicles.

Assessment

In October 2016, the Dubai City signed a deal with the Los Angeles-based Hyperloop One, to study the potential for a Hyperloop between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. A Hyperloop is an air-evacuated tube through which vehicle pods can hurtle at speeds faster than airliners. Administrators of Dubai specially encourage transformative technologies, as it keeps the city as one of the most attractive destinations in the world.