After previous tests in Germany in April this year, the two-seater, 18-rotor unmanned vehicle, also known as a ‘Volocopter’, took off for a five-minute flight above a strip of sand on the Gulf coast. Volocopter hopes to have the taxis up and running in the city within the next five years.
“Implementation would see you using your smartphone, having an app, and ordering a Volocopter to the next Voloport near you,” explained Volocopter chief executive Florian Reuter. “The Volocopter would come and autonomously pick you up and take you to your destination.”
Dubai has big ambitions for becoming a smart city, with drones and robots central to its plans.