Dubai is testing flying taxis that would operate without a pilot. Hop in!

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City of the Future

Flying taxis? Driverless trains? Robot cops? Welcome to the Middle Eastern city of Dubai.

December 2017 - January 2018

By Tod Olson

Imagine a city where everything runs by itself.

Need to report a robbery? Find a robot police officer. Need to get to work? Call for a flying taxi—with no pilot.

A city like this may seem like science fiction. You might think it won’t exist in your lifetime. But you probably haven’t been to Dubai.

Need to report a crime? Find a robot police officer. Need to get to work? Call for a flying taxi with no pilot.

A city like this may seem like science fiction. You might think it won’t exist in your lifetime. If so, you haven’t been to Dubai.

Need to report a robbery? Find a robot police officer. Need to get to work? Call for a driverless flying taxi.

A city like this may seem like science fiction. You might think it couldn’t possibly exist within your lifetime—but then, you probably haven’t been to Dubai.

Growing Fast

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

Dubai may be the fastest-growing city on Earth. It’s located in the Middle East, in a small country called the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

On one side of Dubai, there’s a hot, dusty desert. On the other side is a sparkling body of water called the Persian Gulf.

For centuries, Dubai was a small fishing village. In the 1960s, oil was discovered off the coast. The discovery helped make the city rich.

Today Dubai has the world’s tallest building. It’s called the Burj Khalifa. The building towers more than a half mile above the city. It takes 36 workers three months just to wash its windows.

Dubai welcomes about 15 million tourists every year. Many of them come just to shop. The city has two of the world’s biggest malls.

One of the malls even has an indoor ski slope with fake snow. Outside, desert temperatures can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit. But inside Ski Dubai, you can build a snowman.

Dubai may be the fastest-growing city on Earth. It’s in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). That’s a small country in the Middle East.

On one side of Dubai, there’s a desert. On the other side is a sparkling body of water called the Persian Gulf.

For centuries, Dubai was a small fishing village. Oil was discovered off the coast in the 1960s. The oil helped make the city rich.

Today Dubai has the world’s tallest building. It’s called the Burj Khalifa. The building is more than half a mile high. It takes 36 workers three months to wash its windows.

About 15 million tourists visit Dubai each year. Many of them come just to shop. The city has two of the world’s biggest malls.

One of the malls has an indoor ski slope with fake snow. The temperature can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit outside. But inside Ski Dubai, you can build a snowman.

Dubai may be the fastest-growing city on Earth. It’s located in a small Middle Eastern country called the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

There’s a hot, dusty desert on one side of Dubai and a sparkling body of water called the Persian Gulf on the other.

For centuries, Dubai was a small fishing village. Then, in the 1960s, oil was discovered off the coast—a discovery that helped make the city wealthy.

Today Dubai is home to the world’s tallest building. The structure, called the Burj Khalifa, towers more than a half mile above the city. It takes 36 workers three months just to wash its windows.

Dubai welcomes approximately 15 million tourists annually, many of whom visit just for the shopping. The city has two of the world’s biggest malls.

One of the malls even features an indoor ski slope with artificial snow. Outside, desert temperatures can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit—but inside Ski Dubai, you can build a snowman.

Smart City

Dubai has also become one of the world’s most high-tech cities. Dubai’s leaders want to make the city as “smart” as they can. In a smart city, computers will control as many things as possible.

Dubai’s subways already run without drivers. And city officials hope to fill the skies with flying taxis in the next five years.

The city’s leaders even want to build a “hyperloop.” In the hyperloop, passenger vehicles would travel in a big tube—at 750 miles per hour.

Robots are already fighting crime in Dubai. The city’s first robot police officer got to work in May. The robot is 5 feet 5 inches tall. It has a computer in its chest and speaks several languages. And it can recognize criminals.

Ready to live in a world where computers drive, fly, and catch bad guys? That may be the future for us all. And we’ll have seen it first in Dubai. •

Dubai is also one of the world’s most high-tech cities. City leaders want to make Dubai as “smart” as they can. In a smart city, computers control many things.

Dubai’s subways have no drivers. The city may have flying taxis in five years.

City leaders want to build a “hyperloop” too. It would allow people to travel in a big tube at 750 miles per hour.

Dubai’s first robot police officer got to work in May. The robot is 5 feet 5 inches tall. It has a computer in its chest. It speaks several languages. And it can spot criminals.

Ready to live in a world where computers drive, fly, and catch bad guys? That may be the future for us all. And we’ll have seen it first in Dubai.

Dubai has also become one of the world’s most high-tech cities. Dubai’s officials are striving to make the city as “smart” as they can. In a smart city, computers will control as many things as possible.

Dubai’s subways already operate without drivers, and city officials hope to fill the skies with flying taxis in the next five years.

The city’s leaders even want to build a “hyperloop.” In the hyperloop, passenger vehicles would travel in a big tube at 750 miles per hour.

Robots are already fighting crime in Dubai. The city’s first robotic police officer started work in May. The robot is 5 feet 5 inches tall, has a computer in its chest, and speaks several languages—it also has the capacity to recognize criminals.

Ready to live in a world where computers drive, fly, and catch bad guys? That may be the future for everyone—and we’ll have seen it first in Dubai.