Dubai Tested Drone Taxi Service

A first test flight of a flying self-operating taxi was made on Monday in Dubai, Business Insider reported.

The giant passenger drone made a five-minute flight at 200 meters above the Jumeirah Coast Park to demonstrate how an urban voyage could be featuring an electric autonomous taxi. This happened in the presence of the heir to Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum.

The two-seater has 18 propellers mounted radially in a large hoop above the cabin. The machine is powered by nine batteries allowing a 30-minute flight. The German Volocopter manufacturer explains that the machine can develop a speed of 48 km/h. The drone can follow GPS coordinates, and project developers want to deploy self-management that responds to environmental elements such as aircrafts and obstacles.