Star Wars fans take note, the Dubai police are introducing hoverbikes!
Even as commuters in Bengaluru have taken to inflatable rafts to deal with the city's flooded and pothole-ridden roads, Dubai's police intend to give up on road's all together and take to the skies. In a development that seems more suited to the annals of The Onion, the Dubai police force has announced a zany new tool in their fight against crime – hoverbikes.
Once again, this is not The Onion.
The announcement was made at the recently concluded Gulf Information Technology Exhibition, the Middle East's largest tech expo. While unveiling a range of futuristic new tech, including a self-balancing motorbike, the Dubai police are experimenting with, a representative of the Dubai police also revealed that the force has inked a deal for protoype hoverbikes, along the lines of Star Wars' speeder bikes.
While the vehicles will not be implemented anytime in the near future, they are currently already being trialled by the Dubai police in the hope that they will soon be a viable option for local law enforcement.
The Scorpion-3
Made by Moscow-based company Hoversurf, the Scorpion-3 hoverbikes are around a metre-long, with four large propellers that allow it to lift off and cruise through the air. According to Hoversurf, they are capable of carrying up to 300 kilos in weight, while flying at speeds of up to 70 kilometres per hour. When controlled remotely, these hoverbikes can even hit 100 kilometres an hour.
The vehicle can travel for upto half an hour on a three-hour charge, with battery replacement also a possibility for longer flights. The vehicle will be part of the Dubai police's drive to implement both manned as well as unmanned aerial vehicles to its arsenal as it seeks to stay a few steps ahead of the rest of the world.
The Dubai police pointed out that the vehicle could be used to respond to emergencies during times of traffic congestion. And all of this seems great. Until you realise that the Scorpion-3, at least in its current form, is...
A flying death trap
While we've all lusted after the technology when we saw it in Star Wars, the actual hoverbike Dubai is hoping to adopt is as worrying as it is exciting. Sure, the thought of police whizzing over people's heads is cool, but the reality of what might happen should one of these vehicles malfunction is deeply troubling.
With four large spinning propellers with sharp blades keeping it up, a crash could lead to maimings at best, or even decapitations. The fact that the propellers are at a level in line with the riders knees, separated only by a flimsy protective barrier, should also worry Dubai's police force.
Sure, Hoversurf claims they've included limitations on speed and height for safety purposes, but we're not sure we really see the vehicle as safe at all. However, with the possibility of a giant rotor chopping your head off accidentally, we imagine fewer criminals in Dubai will try and run from the police.
