Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Dubai Plans a Taxi that Skips the Driver, and the Roads


In his article, Russell Goldman discusses how commuters in Dubai may soon be able to travel in automated flying taxis. These taxis would be able to fly over streets at the push of a button. These taxis are known as passenger drones and would be capable of carrying a single rider as well as a small suitcase. The director of the city’s transportation authority says these may be flying around as early as July. This eight-rotor drone is made by the Chinese company Ehang. This device is able to fly up to 31 miles on a single battery charge and has a top speed of 100 mph. According to Ehang, the device is also equipped with fail-safe technology and will land at the nearest possible location in emergencies. The ruler of Dubai even said that by 2030, he believes 25% of all journeys in the city will be conducted by driverless vehicles, such as this passenger drone. In October, the city also signed a deal with the Los Angeles based Hyperloop One to study the potential for a vacuum-like tube through which vehicle pods move at speeds faster than airliners. This hyperloop would be between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Inventions such as these could be extremely beneficial for many reasons. One reason is that vehicles that are successfully driverless may help cut down on roadway accidents. They could dramatically lower the number of deaths by motor vehicles, one of the main causes of death in the United States. Also, drones suited for humans could help get rid of crowded roadways. If fewer people were on the roads, the amount of traffic worldwide would decrease. This would reduce travel time and would be very convenient to drivers. Hyperloops also could reduce travel time and could be very convenient to users.
Overall, I thought the article was very interesting. It discussed a topic I had not heard much about so I was interested. As someone who drives, it would be very beneficial if these drones could be used so there would not be so much traffic on the roadways. One problem I had with the article was that it did not discuss many problems or negative sides of the drones. This made the article appear sort of bias and harder to believe. However, the article did focus on a very interesting topic as it would be very cool for me to be able to travel in a drone above the roadways. I would be interested to hear if any devices are being studied to be used in the United States. Overall, the article was well-written and interesting.

6 comments:

  1. Margot Richards wrote an excellent response to the article “Dubai Plans a Taxi That Skips the Driver, and the Roads” by Russell Goldman. She began with a succinct and informative summary that provides the reader with all of the necessary information. She was able to effectively and efficiently describe the passenger drones and how the ruler of Dubai hopes to integrate the taxis into the everyday life of his country very soon. Margot also did a great job of connecting this significance of this article to many different aspects of life. She explains that the driverless vehicles could cut down on roadway accidents and the number of deaths caused by those accidents, and the amount of time wasted around the world in traffic. By including so many implications of this new and exciting scientific development, Margot was able to convince the reader of the article’s importance to society. I also loved Margot’s personal connection to the article in her final paragraph. She was able to successfully connect the topic to her experience as a driver and speak to its potential benefits.
    Although Margot wrote a well-written and thorough current event response, there are two places that she could improve. If Margot had included a quote from an expert or from a citizen in Dubai, the quote would have either grounded her response with a personal touch or it would have provided more support to her point. She also pointed out that the article was biased, but she did not provide the author with any possible solutions to fix this problem. If she could include some specific suggestions, she would be able to produce a more well-rounded current event review.
    After reading Margot’s response to Goldman’s article, I have learned about an important technological development that might be affecting the world very soon. I am also a driver, so I am curious to see how this will affect me personally and how quickly the United States will adopt this form of transportation. I am excited to see how these drones will revolutionize travel in the future and I am curious to learn how they work.

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  2. I read Margot's review of the article "Dubai Plans a Taxi that Skips the Driver, and the Roads." There were many aspects of her article that were well done. Firstly, her summary was brief and very easy to follow. She gave enough details that the readers understand the topic, but there wasn't any unnecessary information in the review Second, she stated the significance of the driverless vehicles. Motor vehicles are one of the main causes of death and this invention could help fix that problem. The third aspect that Margot did well was stating some statistics of the vehicle that make it sound more interesting. She said that they could be flying as early as July, and talked about the speed they could go.
    Although Margot's review was good, there were some aspects that need improvement. One thing she could do is add quotes from experts. This would make her review more sophisticated and it would give it more details. The second thing is she could have said if the driverless vehicles would become a world wide invention.
    Overall, Margot's review of the article was very well written. I have heard of driverless cars, but I have never heard of flying cars before. I think that this invention could be very beneficial worldwide as it could lower the accidents due to motor vehicles. Also, it would be good to cut travel time.

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  6. Mia Gradelski
    Mr. Ippolito
    AP Biology
    September 28, 2017

    Goldman, Russell. "Dubai Plans a Taxi That Skips the Driver, and the Roads." The New York Times.
    The New York Times, 14 Feb. 2017. Web. 25 Sept. 2017.

    After reading Margot’s very interesting review on technology hoping to become popular in coming years in Dubai, I thought the information presented was nicely organized due to the way she constructed her review. Throughout her review, I understood all ideas this newly anticipated technology would have and it would “spare no effort to launch.” She did a great job analyzing why this piece of technology would be unique, friendly for the environment and a great style of transportation. Comparing her review to the article, she nicely incorporated key details such as statistics based on the “ruler of Dubai who said that by 2030, he believes 25% of all journeys in the city will be conducted by driverless vehicles, such as this passenger drone.” While reading, I definitely didn’t feel overwhelmed but instead excited about this new technology presented due to the way Margot added her own opinions. She discusses the problems that she felt were in the article and her personal experience, “as someone who drives, it would be very beneficial if these drones could be used.” She convinced the readers that this is a compelling new idea to research more about. She talked about both sides of this upcoming technology. She mentions different opinions from the company, Hyperloop One and how “the vehicle pods move at speeds faster than airliners” to the ruler of Dubai, “who believes many journeys will be conducted through this passenger drone soon.” Overall, Margot’s review was simplified compared to the original article and made me eager to learn more about this upcoming technology in Dubai by providing key details that are significant to the story and what is coming up next in the future to make the reader more curious.

    Margot’s review discussed many of the key points that were present in the article, yet it is evident that there needs to be improvement. At the start, she explains lots of statistical data regarding battery life of the airliners and the percentage of users in the future, I felt overwhelmed by material she plugged into her review. She didn’t explain how it related to this new technology. I would’ve wanted her to address more clearly what this flying technology is about. She can improve upon this by going back into the article and briefly stating a rhetorical question similar to what was stated in the article about “a scene from “The Jetsons.”” I think she was a bit vague in mentioning that the article was biased, but she did not explain why or provide any reasons. She mentioned many viewpoints on this technology, but they were not related. For example, she is constantly using positive language to convey based upon the ruler of Dubai’s options, “a great and upcoming technology that will be very efficient and useful” while stating how fast it can go. This information wasn’t properly formatted and in order to fix this she should of separated her thoughts into separate paragraphs instead of squeezing all the information together.

    After reading Margot’s informative review, I learned more about what other countries, not only the United States have planned in the future regarding technology. As a person who loves to stay in check with all different types of technology, I think I learned a great deal of why this type of technology is becoming popular by inventors in order to save money and save the planet regarding the cost and pollution. In addition, that is the main reason why I chose this article since I loved watching “The Jetsons” growing up, which reminds me of technology that can make our lives more efficient and better. Overall, I’m not only excited after reading Margot’s review about the future of transportation but have changed my perception on how technology has changed throughout the years and what is expected to come soon by companies.

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