How autonomous vehicles are set to drive evolution of Abu Dhabi transport

DriftX exhibition shows the future of mobility, with tech demonstrations at Yas Marina Circuit

Autonomous vehicles took centre stage at the DriftX exhibition in Abu Dhabi as the transition towards driverless transport in the city continues to accelerate.

A connected network for automated drones on land, sea and air – complemented by a burgeoning robotics industry – was on display in a series of demonstrations at Yas Marina Circuit. Drone deliveries, automated farming techniques and driverless transport set to launch in Masdar City offered an insight into a near-future vision for Abu Dhabi.

Test flights for drone deliveries have been operating since June, with medical equipment and blood supplies transported between health clinics and pathology labs.

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Delivery by fight will soon become an everyday option for shoppers with Noon, Talabat and others looking at offering rapid drone services after a successful pilot scheme by aviation firm LODD Autonomous and Abu Dhabi Investment, which can winch 30kg parcels and deliver up to 16km between landing hubs.

James Alexander-Hall, a senior UAV operator at LODD Autonomous, said three of the drones had been used during testing. “Inside the box there are two configurations and a winch capability, which carries the same 30kg – and that can be deployed from the ground, so there's no requirement to land,” he said. “We have safety pilots at both sides and can operate numerous drones from one central location.”

Test cases

While a pilot oversaw test flights, he said they would soon be operating autonomously. “We spent a lot of effort proving the routes to make them safe and viable, and we use a buffer zone so it won’t obstruct certain airspace,” Mr Alexander-Hall said.

Sebastien Miller of Masdar City said the area is the perfect testing ground for autonomous vehicles. Nick Webster / The National

“We're using drones when it benefits the customer, such as using specialist deliveries for specialist items. There are no emissions, as the drone relies on two rechargeable batteries and maintenance is very quick and efficient.

“In one day we covered 214km, with 170 minutes of flight time – that was 20 deliveries of 10kg in each payload. These drones fly efficiently down a preprogrammed route, take traffic off the roads and are secured against hackers.”

New autonomous land vehicles set to hit the roads of Masdar City were also unveiled at the DriftX exhibition. The free zone has been operating driverless personal rapid transport pods for 15 years, ferrying workers and residents between underground car parks and drop-off hubs.

That mobility system is due for an upgrade, with autonomous vehicles taking to the roads, mapping out areas of Masdar City in preparation for a full-time driverless transport system.

The second generation of preprogrammed vehicles have been made in France and fitted with LDAR and radar. They allow for more capability as they understand surrounding obstacles and traffic lights and respond to pedestrians stepping into the road.

Urban planning shift

Sebastien Miller, an urban planner and design manager at Masdar City, said the area was the perfect testing ground for autonomous vehicles. “At Masdar City, we're essentially a proving ground for technology, before they go full scale,” he added. “We're big enough that we can test these out in a meaningful manner, in a mixed-use, medium-density city.

“We'll identify all the teething problems, but we're not small enough that we can learn without it becoming a costly mistake. In that regards we're a living lab or an ecosystem where we can test these things out.”

Major investment into the future of self-driving vehicles is under way in Abu Dhabi. On the sidelines of DriftX, 29 commercial agreements were made in the e-commerce, food and goods delivery, health care and logistics sectors. One of those was a deal with the Abu Dhabi firm Sinaha Technology to feature autonomous ground vehicles operating continuously between test sites to cut costs, and emissions.

Mr Miller said the design of modern cities was changing to keep pace with the arrival of autonomous transport. “In older European cities on a tight medieval grid, it's just not going to be feasible to create large laneways for autonomous routes,” he said.

“It works wonderfully for new cities in this region where we are master-planning them and adapting them to technology. It is changing how we design cities because we're responding to the technology and the flexibility it brings.”

Bigger tech, better life

A vision for the future of Abu Dhabi includes an integrated approach, with autonomous vehicles at its core. It is hoped different technologies will integrate seamlessly to reduce traffic, improve safety and make every day life more efficient.

“We are building an autonomous ecosystem with mobility and agriculture, food and beverage options and retail, with robo taxis, autonomous delivery and EV chargers,” said Waleed Alblooshi, vice president of strategy at K2, an advanced technology company in Abu Dhabi.

Waleed Al Blooshi with the Auto Farm display during Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week. Victor Besa / The National

“All of them are linked together in one command centre, so we can see all the autonomous mobility in one place. We believe autonomy is the future and Abu Dhabi will be the capital of autonomy.”

The week-long DriftX show at Yas Marina Circuit has a flight zone with aerial demonstrations and autonomous flight displays. An autonomous mobility zone offers shuttle rides in driverless vehicles, while a marina activation area shows the capability of autonomous water vessels. Robotics also form a central part of the show, with humanoids and service robots showing the rapid advancements in the technology.

Ali AlHashmi, a specialist at Smart Autonomous Vehicle Industry, said change was fast approaching. “This year we are not looking at prototypes or technologies that are in the development phase, we are looking at things that are ready to be commercialised soon,” he said.

“This is what we are pushing for, as advanced air mobility has a lot of potential in Abu Dhabi. What we have here is a great infrastructure and also the regulatory framework. Our goal is to have it as part of our daily lives.”