Let's add flying cars to the #OnlyInDubai hashtag!
According to Khaleej Times, The RTA (Road and Transport Authority) are to test the first Automated Aerial Vehicle (AAV) that can carry a human.
The AAV will be decorating Dubai's skies this coming July.
Oh, and don't worry about learning to drive an AAV, as they will be driverless (I mean if the normal cars are going to be driverless, flying cars have to be).
Only last month, StepFeed put out a piece that pitted Dubai against the futuristic cartoon, The Jetsons. We didn't know it was going to get this close.
This space-age vehicle has a touchscreen in front of the passenger seat that displays a map with destinations passengers can choose from. The vehicle then sets off, automatically, to the set location and will descend and land in a certain spot.
The operation will be supervised by a ground control center - with all those skyscrapers, we hope so!
The flying car was displayed at the World Government Summit, according to the National, and Mattar Al Tayer (what a fitting name), director general and chairman of the RTA, said that the AAV at the exhibition wasn't just a prototype, but the actual version that has already been experimented with in the Dubai sky.
Now you might be thinking, it's cool but is it safe? Rest assured, the RTA has you covered.
The AAV will have 8 main propellors, according to Al Tayer, with each operating at separate times. In case of a failure of one, there are 7 others that can complete the journey with a smooth landing. This safety standard stand for the rest of the vehicle.
"In case of any malfunctioning in [the basic operating systems], the standby system would be capable of controlling and safely steering the AAV to the programmed landing point," Al Tayer explained at the World Summit, according to Khaleej Times.
I mean... is anyone else getting The Jetsons feels or is that just me?
The EHANG184 is set to fly for 30 minutes at a max speed of 160km/hr. The standard speed will be 100km/hr.
Will there be radars in the air? If the car is caught speeding, will the RTA pay us a fine? I mean, who's asking the real questions here?
I guess we'll have to wait until July to find out!