Life
Set to revolutionise the transportation industry, self-driving taxis are soon going pave its way in the emirate.
For residents to step into the future, driverless cars are addition to the future for the public transport network in Dubai, most likely by December 2030.
“The launch of autonomous vehicles will bring a positive impact on Dubai’s transportation landscape and wellbeing. The rollout of autonomous vehicles will alleviate traffic congestion, lower the number of traffic accidents, and cut harmful emissions,” RTA said in a previous statement back in April announcing the road data collection.
“We’ve selected the most mature companies to integrate, that could actually go through regulation and further testing (in Dubai),” said Khaled Al Awadhi, director of transport systems at the RTA.
“We will not run these everywhere in the city because the digital infrastructure is still required to do the mapping of the city.
#RTA and Cruise, a self-driving technology company, initiated data collection and testing technology for Dubai’s traffic signals, signage, and drivers’ behaviour among other attributes using five Chevy Bolt-based autonomous vehicles in Jumeirah 1 area.https://t.co/6pqh6VIL3f pic.twitter.com/YSTyrAwmXS
— RTA (@rta_dubai) April 5, 2023
For enhanced security, the vehicles will be equipped with 80 sensors, cameras and LiDAR systems – light detection and ranging (laser scanning technology) to monitor road conditions, and controls to avoid collision with any objects – even those the human eye cannot see.
For the self-driving taxis the model is most likely to be all-electric and emission-free Chevrolet Bolt equipped with LiDAR (laser sensor that uses near-infrared to detect the shapes of objects), cameras, radars and other equipment’s to detect people on the street.
As a means to a more safer future, these machines will be equipped with the latest AI technology and advanced control systems to enhance safety and traffic efficiency.
Driverless Buses
Beyond the world of driverless taxi, UAE residents and tourists can also expect driverless buses on the streets. The autonomous bus category was the third edition of the Dubai World Challenge for self-driving transport. Winners in the academic section of the bus challenge were selected from Heriot-Watt University as A team of five students developed a Virtual Reality simulation to improve passenger experience on public transport.
The main criteria for selection included credibility, vision, innovation, the relevance of skills, expertise and commercial elements such as operability and value-added.
