City dwellers are accustomed to taxicab stands on bustling street corners, but what will happen to those stands if taxis start to fly?
Although the idea may seem fantastic, it could become an engineering challenge soon. Volocopter, a German manufacturer, and EHang, a Chinese company, are developing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for an autonomous air taxi project for the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Dubai’s ruler, has said that 25% of all transport in the emirate will become autonomous by 2030. Preliminary flight tests of the UAVs already have begun.