Flying car attracts visitors at GITEX

A car that can fly was among the innovations and futuristic technologies showcased at this year’s edition of GITEX being held in Dubai World Trade Centre.

Thousands of people including hundreds from Bahrain are attending the prime technology event of the Middle East, where top industry players from around the world are exhibiting their best offerings. One of the main attractions is an autonomous car that can fly.

Bypassing traffic congestion by flying over the high traffic areas is one of the main ideas behind the vehicle. The car was manufactured through a collaboration between Audi and Airbus. A representative of the company behind the concept told Tribune that the idea behind the innovation was sprouted to solve the issue of traffic congestion. “One of the biggest problems in big cities is the traffic congestion and this is what we want to be solved. We came up with the idea of flying over traffic. The car can go on the ground as well as fly in the air.

“The vehicle can combine these two modes depending on the needs. For example, if you are being picked up from somewhere you could go the first 10 km on land and if you reach a high traffic zone you can fly over the traffic,” the representative said. “In future, municipalities can provide this as a service to their citizens.

The citizens can subscribe to this service and book the services through an app,” he said. When asked about its safety, he said, “Safety is one of the issues that our developers are trying to ensure.”