​Abu Dhabi to Launch Unmanned Water Taxi

The unmanned water taxi will operate between central Abu Dhabi and nearby islands.

Unmanned water taxis (ASVs) will transport residents and visitors of Abu Dhabi to nearby islands. Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) will be used to transport cargo in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

Innovative solutions are set to revolutionize the land, air and sea transportation sectors through robots and the implementation of artificial intelligence technologies.

The agreement on the development of innovative solutions, concepts and applications was signed by the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), Aspire and Maqta Gateway, which are part of the AD Ports Group digital cluster. It is planned that unmanned transport – both cargo and passenger – will become part of the Ministry of Transport’s maritime infrastructure assets.

TII is an applied research centre of the Abu Dhabi Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), which is developing next-age technologies. The island’s autonomous vehicles will improve the efficiency, safety and reliability of passenger transportation, and help optimise the costs of the transport sector.

ASVs minimize human error and use a combination of LiDAR, radar and additional sensor technologies to provide a 360-degree multimodal view of the surrounding environment. They can offer a smoother, more comfortable ride with adaptive speed.

Meanwhile, UGVs will transform the cargo handling process by increasing productivity, safety, cost-effectiveness, and helping to reduce the risk of accidents and injuries. They will enable Abu Dhabi ports to automate processes such as manual loading and unloading of cargo.