Photos: Dubai reveals futuristic Sky Pods

The Road and Transport Authority’s latest project in transportation is the Sky Pods, a futuristic mobility system that requires “one tenth the infrastructure of conventional transit systems”.

Two models were presented for the new mode of transport, which will move like a train – as both use steel wheels to travel along a suspended rail. The first model, called the “Unibike”, can accommodate up to five passengers per trip along with their luggage. It can reach up to 150km per hour, transporting around 20,000 riders per hour. As for the “Unicar”, it’s slightly bigger than its sister model, which can carry up to six passengers at a time.
It’s designed to travel a distance of 200km that can transport around 50,000 passengers per hour, with a maximum speed of 150km per hour. Dubai’s Sky Pods were first introduced by the RTA in tweets, stating that His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council reviews the project and its AI system. RTA also stated the two pod’s power efficiency is better than electric vehicles, and requires less infrastructure than other transit vehicles.
The project is still in its initial stages, as plans for trials have yet to be set.