A futuristic flying bike unveiled in Abu Dhabi is expected to deliver life-saving support in crucial search and rescue operations.
The Xturismo Hoverbike, which can soar 20 metres into the sky and hit speeds of up to 80 kph, is being tipped as the next cutting-edge tool for emergency services confronted by challenging conditions such as desert terrain.
The vehicle has been developed by Bayanat, a unit of Abu Dhabi's artificial intelligence company G42, in partnership with Japanese aerial mobility company Aerwins Technologies.
It was put on display at an event in Yas Bay on Monday, with representatives from Abu Dhabi Police, the Department of Culture and Tourism and the Ministry of Health on hand.
The agile hoverbike is made of high-strength carbon fibre used in aviation and the space industry. It weighs 300kg and can fly at 80 kph for up to 40 minutes before it needs to refuel.
Trials have already been held in Japan with plans in place to roll bikes off the production line in the Emirates.
“The hovering bike has been successfully trialled in Japan through our partner”, said Hasan Al Hosani, chief executive of Bayanat.
“Our plan is to start a manufacturing unit in the UAE and customise it into our specific needs in the UAE”.
Bayanat is well versed in developing advanced transportation, having recently launched driverless cars and trams on Yas Island and Saadiyat, called TXAIs.
Mr Hosani said the hoverbike is an extension of the company’s smart mobility programme.
“The plan is to utilise it for multiple sectors such as search and rescue and security, especially considering our desert terrain”.
He said the bike could be used in remote areas for the oil and gas industry, to deliver emergency help to remote areas, and even to support civil defence operations or the construction sector.
The bike has a turbocharged four-stroke Kawasaki gasoline motorbike racing engine, delivering 230 horsepower.
Four electrically-powered side fans control the vehicle during flying.
It has been designed with rescue missions in mind, to help emergency services reach remote locations by flying over deserts and lakes, cutting response times.
It is also expected to be used to transport urgent supplies and for data gathering, as well as being used in joint operations with drones.
Rise of aerial technology
Sharjah Police uses drones to assist crews on the ground battling fires in the emirate.
Mavic 2, one of the force's high-tech drones, was sent through smoke and flames to find people in danger after a large fire broke out at the 190-metre, 48-storey Abbco Tower in Sharjah in May 2020.
Firefighters took three hours to put out the blaze but residents and staff survived thanks to the drone, which provided rescuers with a constant stream of data.
It located three trapped tenants, giving emergency services the information they needed to reach them.
“Being a time-sensitive matter, the device was deployed to locate any tenants who were not able to make it out of the tower”, said Capt Omran Al Matrooshi, head of the drone unit at Sharjah Police.
“It was able to find all three people, who were taken out to safety”.
Another drone, the state-of-the-art Matrice M300RTK, entered service in 2020 and has helped in several drug cases.
It has been also used to detect traffic offences and to find missing people.
When it detects a car, a suspect or a person in distress, it sends co-ordinates to a central or mobile operations room.
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Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
· Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.
· Have some background music on to help create a bit of ambience and fill any initial lulls in conversations.
· The meal certainly doesn’t need to be ready the moment your guests step through the door, but if there’s a nibble or two that can be passed around it will ward off hunger pangs and buy you a bit more time in the kitchen.
· You absolutely don’t have to make every element of the brunch from scratch. Take inspiration from our ideas for ready-made extras and by all means pick up a store-bought dessert.
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If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
The Sky Is Pink
Director: Shonali Bose
Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, Rohit Saraf
Three stars
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Specs
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Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.