The Kingdom of Dubai continues its reputations as the world’s most future-forward city, with the announcement at GITEX, the biggest technology expo in the Gulf region, that it plans to add quadcopter-style hoverbikes to its police line.
Brigadier Khalid Nasser Alrazooqi, general director of Dubai Police’s artificial intelligence department, described this vehicle as a first responder unit used to access hard to reach areas. He said he aims to have hoverbikes in action by 2020.
According to the report published in CNN, he said, “Currently we have two crews already training (to pilot the hoverbike) and we’re increasing the number.” Hoversurf chief operating officer Joseph Segura-Conn explained that ideal candidates will be able to ride a motorcycle and have drone operating experiences.
The Russian made new Hoversurf Scorpion craft will be used for responding to emergency situations. It can even run on its own without a driver, totally a scene from any Hollywood sci-fi film.
The police hoverbike can fly a pilot at up to 70 km/h (43 mph) with a programmed maximum height of 5 meters (16 ft). The range is in the 20-25 minute area, with recharge times around 3 hours – but batteries are swappable to keep these things in the air if necessary.