pilotless air taxi 

The German companyVolocopter conducted the first public test of an unmanned air taxi in Dubai – the AAT drone, which will enter the city’s transport system in the next decade.

The company captured the test flight on video. It shows how a giant drone independently took off from the ground, rose to a height of 200 m, circled one of the sandy beaches of Dubai and landed carefully. The duration of the test was five minutes. Since this is the first such flight, there were no people in the cabin of the vehicle.

This drone is called AAT ( Autonomous Air Taxi , “Autonomous Air Taxi”), and it is developed by the German company Volocopter . The air taxi is powered by an electric motor, it is much more compact than any traditional helicopter and makes much less noise. Two people fit in the cabin of the vehicle, and for their safety, the AAT has parachutes and nine spare batteries, which are used in case of emergency. In the air, the drone is held by the force of 18 propellers, its cruising speed is 50 km/h, and its maximum speed is 100 km/h.

Dubai authorities are planning to include air taxis in the city’s transport system. It is assumed that AAT flights will account for a quarter of all passenger traffic in the capital of the UAE by 2030 – it will be possible to call drones through a smartphone application.

In the following five years, the city organization likewise means to foster definite traffic rules and a course framework for air transport.

The business AAT model will go marked down the following year. The cost has not yet been revealed.