Autonomous technology
Pilotless aerial vehicle set to fly
The world’s first pilotless aerial vehicle is on course to fly in Dubai in July, said Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of RTA’s Board of Directors.
“A dedicated committee is currently working on this important project and as announced the service will be available in July. But for the project to take flight we have to go through different process, one of them is ceritification. We will not launch any service without ensuring its safety for the users according to international standards,” said Al Tayer. He added that the committee is currently experimenting a different model of the autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) and continuous trials will be conducted before the AAV is launched. Emphasising that the project is on course, Ahmad Hashem Behroozian, who is heading the smart vehicles committee said that there is a strong intention to this project in operation, but he added that it is very important to ensure the safety of any mode of transport before putting into service. “We will be approaching an international certification entity to certify this vehicles and we will hopefully able to launch the service by July,” he said.
Dubai-Sharjah congestion to ease
Congestions on roads connecting Dubai with Sharjah will be reduced by up to 40 per cent over the next few years as new transport corridors are being built and the existing ones are under expansion.
Hussain Al Banna, Executive Director of Traffic at RTA, said that the new link that is being built between Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed road and Emirates road, coupled with the upgraded Airport road will add to the existing capacity to the corridor leading to northern emirates.
Automated road test
Following the success of automated yard test for trainee drivers that has removed human intervention, the RTA is now studying adopting some of the smart features in the final road test.
“We have successfully completed the trials of the smart yard test, which will now be implemented across all the driving schools. Going forward we are looking to adopt some of the features for the road test as well,” said Ahmad Hashem Behroozian, CEO of RTA’s Licensing Agency.
He added that 30 to 40 per cent of the road test could be monitored using the latest technologies, which will minimise the chances of errors.
“Automating the road test fully is not possible. There has to be a human inspector in the car, but what we are trying to increase the use of technology which will help improve accuracy of the results,” said Behroozian.
Shopping on the go
Dubai’s pedestrian hotspots will soon have smart shopping and infotainment kiosks as part of RTA’s efforts to offer greater convenience to residents.
A prototype of the smart kiosks is currently in operation at the Dubai Canal Broad Walk and 50 more will be installed across popular locations in Dubai by the end of this years, said Hussain Al Banna, Executive Director of Traffic at RTA.
The interactive screens will let people shop a limited quantity of goods including grocery and other items, and the purchased items will be delivered to the customer’s chosen address, similar to Smart Mall screens available at five metro stations.
Necessary information about Dubai’s transport services will also be available on the kiosks.
Tesla taxis on airport run
Tesla’s Model X and S that are set to join RTA’s luxury taxi fleet will be on airport run, a senior RTA official told Gulf News.
RTA signed a deal with the US-based electric car maker to acquire 200 electric vehicles with autonomous driving features earlier this month.
50 of these vehicles will be in service from Dubai International airport later this year, as part of Dubai Taxi Corporation’s (DTC), limousine fleet.
Tesla’s Model S sedan and Model X SUV will be joining 4,700 limousines or luxury cabs that operate on Dubai roads, apart from 10,000 regular taxis which also include around 700 hybrid vehicles.
The move is part of RTA’s plan to replace 50 per cent of the city’s taxi fleet with green vehicles.
Smart pedestrian crossing
Sensor-actuated pedestrian traffic crossings will be introduced across 15 locations in Dubai, following a successful trial. RTA installed and operated the smart traffic light on Al Saada street as a trial, which is designed to help reduce runover accidents considerably. The system spots the movement of pedestrians on the pavement before crossing the street or on the crossing path and automatically modifies the timing of the signal.