Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Dubai Police Get Hoverbikes (mashable.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the flying-crimefighters dept.

An anonymous reader quotes Mashable: The Dubai police, which already has luxury patrol cars, self-driving pursuit drones, and a robot officer, just announced it will soon have officers buzzing around on hoverbikes, which look like an early version of the speeder bikes used by the scout troopers on Endor in Return of the Jedi. The force (see what I did there?) unveiled its new Hoversurf Scorpion craft at the Gitex Technology Week conference, according to UAE English language publication Gulf News. The police force will use the hoverbike for emergency response scenarios, giving officers the ability to zoom over congested traffic conditions by taking to the air... The Scorpion can also fly autonomously for almost four miles at a time for other emergencies.
The fully-electric hoverbike stays aloft for about 25 minutes per charge at a top speed around 43 mph.

Gulf News also reported that Dubai police "unveiled robotic vehicles which will be equipped with biometric software to scan for wanted criminals and undesirable elements."

118 comments

  1. Can be taken out by EMP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    A well timed and well placed EMP would probably be a very painful experience for whomever was riding the hoverbike at the time.

    1. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      A well timed and well placed EMP would probably be a very painful experience for whomever was riding the hoverbike at the time.

      As would contact with one of those open blades.

      The video is long on fluff and short on any actual flying. Clearly, a long way from practical use.

    2. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A well timed and well placed EMP would probably be a very painful experience for whomever was riding the hoverbike at the time.

      It's an interesting thought... but does it really work like that? I don't know much about EMP, but I thought that it mostly impacted very large structures such as power grids, and things attached to those structures at the time. But if you have a single isolated computer (say turned off and unplugged) that would be fine. I would similarly expected the isolated small-scale systems in something like this to survive the EMP.

      But maybe someone who knows more can chime in.

    3. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pretty much anything can be taken out by EMP. Fortunately, as an attack it's quite hard to pull off.

    4. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by hey! · · Score: 1

      Can be taken out with a lasso.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    5. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by Tailhook · · Score: 1

      EMP! What can't it do?

      Dr. Peter Vincent Pry (former CIA, policy wonk and author since) told Congress (see 0:33:10) last Thursday that "we might not ever recover" from a single North Korean EMP attack. One attack will kill "millions of Americans."

      I don't know if this is real. Puerto Rico and its craptacular 70 year old wood pole power grid notwithstanding, I don't believe most of our infrastructure is that fragile. I do know that a nuclear powered EMP pulse over North America won't disable our SLBM force, so such an attack will definitely produce a big smoking ruin where Pyongyang used to be.

      --
      Maw! Fire up the karma burner!
    6. Re: Can be taken out by EMP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It's a Russian design. They're a little less concerned about health and safety than we are in the West. "Pilot fell in blades, is mincemeat. Is pity, clean up pieces, fetch spare pilot."

    7. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pffft hard to pull off... they used them all the time in The Matrix.

    8. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by w3woody · · Score: 1

      Came here to say that. I mean, who puts the whirling blades of death at kneecap level without any sorts of guards? All you need is a poorly timed kick (in reaction to losing your balance, say), to have the bottom half of your leg chopped off by one of those four spinning Cuisinart blades...

    9. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by meerling · · Score: 1

      Why bother with something so exotic and unaimable, lob just about anything into those exposed lift blades they showed. For that matter, get the right colored rope or cable and watch those suckers clothesline themselves if they come in at predictable altitudes, or have multiple lines set up.

      Besides, it's not like they can turn or stop worth a damn on those things.

      Sure they look cool, and can ignore potholes while they fly in straight lines, but other than that, an expensive and risky waste of resources.

    10. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by meerling · · Score: 1

      EMP will affect any unshielded electrical system. A big part of the reason the military has been shielding stuff since they discovered that a high altitude nuke causes a nasty EMP.
      Of course, something that doens't need electricity, like some combustion engines, aren't bothered by it at all.
      Of course you can bet that hoverbike has lots of electricals, at the very least a processor to aid with balance & control, but as to shielding, probably not a thought that went through the engineers minds, especially when having to shave weight as much as they can get away with.

    11. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by meerling · · Score: 1

      Nope, only unshielded electricals. It's not some magic weapon or anything like that.

    12. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by slashrio · · Score: 1

      How about the fuel valve relay in diesel engines?
      Or the fuel pump in gasoline engines?
      Or the inverters in electric cars?

      --
      "Trump!!", the new Godwin.
    13. Re: Can be taken out by EMP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All Car engines of the Last 20 years have electronic Control Units. No other way to meet Emission Standards.

    14. Re: Can be taken out by EMP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Indeed. A crappy Version of a Police helo. Thats what it is.

    15. Re: Can be taken out by EMP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know. How does a turned off computer fly a hoverbike?

    16. Re: Can be taken out by EMP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The big issue with EMP is that any wiring acts as a receiver. It's a pulse so it contains all the frequencies and any wire is an antenna. How much stray current can the device handle?

    17. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Never mind an EMP - too tricky for simple thugs to set up. The thug chased down by one of these would to well to throw a length of rope into the propellers. A simple lowtech/cowboy approach.

    18. Re: Can be taken out by EMP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      with all that sand, why not fly around on a personal helicopter?

    19. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      However the video does show them fitting prop-guards, albeit slightly flimsy-looking ones, over the props before taking off.

    20. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which is why planes are constantly being knocked out of the air with EMP attacks, oh wait, it's never happened. There are plenty of risks with these kinds of systems but an EMP is currently near the bottom of the list near LHC black holes and alien invasion.

    21. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People facing an opponent with an actual EMP weapon have much more on their mind than their hoverbikes.

    22. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not if you're on the hoverbike.

    23. Re: Can be taken out by EMP by barbariccow · · Score: 1

      FCC title 47 part 15 regulation states:

      interference must be accepted that may be caused by the operation of an authorized radio station, by another intentional or unintentional radiator, by industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) equipment, or by an incidental radiator.

      So shielding against EMP is illegal. They've been planning this for decades! Pearl Harbor all over again!

    24. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by Shotgun · · Score: 1

      Umm?! I think a well place rock would be more than sufficient. Carbon fiber blades are lightweight, but not know for resiliency. You have 4 to choose from here. Take out any of them and you have a three legged table, and a dead policeman.

      --
      Aah, change is good. -- Rafiki
      Yeah, but it ain't easy. -- Simba
    25. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by Type44Q · · Score: 1

      Just show the cop a glimpse of a bare ankle; it'll send him into a uncontrollable frenzy and a moment later it'll be raining down chunks of meat.

    26. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dubai is a doomed place. The game was already lost by them even before the start. I see a ghost town when I think of it. The most unsustainable place on Earth. They think they live in the future, but I can see through the fog of arrogance and see that they are already nothing more than dead people walking.

    27. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by SuperDre · · Score: 1

      Any modern vehicle is vunerable to an EMP attack, cars depend so much on electronics these days.

    28. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by spun · · Score: 1

      It shows them fitting prop guards and then, oddly, flying around without them on.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    29. Re: Can be taken out by EMP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There must be room for compromise. I saw on a thread elsewhere comments along the lines of "As soon as your proposed solution involes more education, then it's not a solution". The world should be able to come together with the common sense that education is possible and desirable, but that the world can still be made more hospitable for the uneducated. Not everyone attains the same level of education, nor is such even possible (Even among the best of the best)

    30. Re:Can be taken out by EMP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The police there have super cars pass i will stay with the Veyron thanks.

  2. Also: beheadings on the fly! by Cyberax · · Score: 5, Funny

    And with these unprotected blades rotating at high speed they can also perform beheadings on the fly! Sounds like it's a great feature for Dubai police.

    1. Re:Also: beheadings on the fly! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Definitely a feature, not a bug. Also great for making coleslaw.

    2. Re:Also: beheadings on the fly! by Tablizer · · Score: 2

      unprotected blades rotating at high speed...can also perform beheadings on the fly!

      Citizens now call it "Dubye"

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
    3. Re:Also: beheadings on the fly! by meerling · · Score: 1

      Works for jokes, but I bet those suckers are rather lightweight and will shatter when almost anything solid impacts them. Ever seen what happens when a quarter goes into a jet engine? It gets utterly mangled, and you can even tell which way the quarter hit on a blade by looking at the impressions. (nice flat hit is clear enough you can tell heads or tails)

    4. Re:Also: beheadings on the fly! by AmiMoJo · · Score: 2

      It's not actually for serious police work, it's a spectacle for tourists and a relatively cheap way to do some global advertising. Same as the expensive cop cars, the police don't actually use them to get to crimes at 200 MPH, they just make Dubai look like an ultra-luxury destination awash with money.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    5. Re:Also: beheadings on the fly! by rhazz · · Score: 1

      I bet those suckers are rather lightweight and will shatter when almost anything solid impacts them

      4 small props spinning fast enough to move a human and itself in that manner will certainly be enough to cut through human material. A 6 lb RC helicopter went clean through a guy's skull.

  3. HoverQUAD by JustOK · · Score: 1

    not bikes AT ALL. Or better yet, heliquad or hellovabike

    --
    rewriting history since 2109
    1. Re: HoverQUAD by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      Did you just misspell "helluvabike"?

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    2. Re: HoverQUAD by JustOK · · Score: 1

      didn't realize AUTO-correct would work on bike things.

      --
      rewriting history since 2109
  4. A top speed of 43mph? by mark-t · · Score: 1

    Yeah... that'd be just fine for catching people speeding.

    (eyeroll)

    --
    File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
    1. Re:A top speed of 43mph? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Especially in a country where the entry car is BMW (if not Mercedes), gas costs cents per gallon, and life is worth nothing.

    2. Re:A top speed of 43mph? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... BMW (if not Mercedes) ...

      Not only that, but of course the M (or AMG respectively) variety.

    3. Re:A top speed of 43mph? by bug_hunter · · Score: 1

      Except they say it's for "The police force will use the hoverbike for emergency response scenarios, giving officers the ability to zoom over congested traffic conditions by taking to the air" not for catching speeders.

      --
      It's turtles all the way down.
    4. Re:A top speed of 43mph? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      gas costs cents per gallon,

      Those are per liter prices. The US gallon prices are $2 for eplus-91, and $2.18 for super 98.

  5. Capital punishment by Neo-Rio-101 · · Score: 2, Funny

    If you mess with the Police's hoverbike blades, the punishment is getting your hands chopped off.

    --
    READY.
    PRINT ""+-0
    1. Re:Capital punishment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Looks like potential capital punishment for any unlucky police officer forced to ride one of those things.

      The video makes them look like deathtraps.

    2. Re:Capital punishment by meerling · · Score: 1

      So in other words you get off lighter than most sentences there if you can't pay million dollar fines.

  6. The Arabian peninsula suffers, and... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    ... the oil potentates spend endlessly on luxury and toys.

    1. Re: The Arabian peninsula suffers, and... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What die they suffer ? CIA instigated wars and a Lack of contraceptives ?

      Why should Dubai try to fix that ?

  7. Not the right product by Baron_Yam · · Score: 2

    Give me a regular bike where the (ducted / screened) blades fold down for flight when needed, controlled by wire so a computer can keep it level and steady and at a constant altitude so all the rider generally has to worry about is speed and direction.

    That thing, as is, is a stupid waste of money.

    1. Re: Not the right product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just Take a small helo Like the BÃlkow 105. More Speed, more endurance, more range , much more safety.

    2. Re:Not the right product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A regular bike has to haul all that rubber and suspension into the air. Can we say "nope" to magical transformer fantasies?

      I'm sure I remember engineering-quality comments here once upon a time. #eternalseptember

  8. Such emergencies by Bender+Unit+22 · · Score: 1

    as someone kissing or holding hands. Yikes, better put a stop to that.

    1. Re:Such emergencies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or women drivers!

    2. Re:Such emergencies by Calydor · · Score: 2

      We were talking about things that aren't actually hazardous, though.

      --
      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
  9. Please God by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Return of the Jedi. The force (see what I did there?)"

    Dear Lord, please make Anon less of a fag.

    Amen.

  10. geez by gravewax · · Score: 2

    That thing looks like a death trap, a bit of buffeting causing you to move and you could lose a leg or two not to mention a failure of a single engine would surely be completely catastrophic for the rider

    1. Re:geez by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      a failure of a single engine would surely be completely catastrophic for the rider
      a failure of a single engine would surely be completely catastrophic for both the rider and the people below.

      FTFY

    2. Re:geez by sysrammer · · Score: 1

      That's what I was wondering. With just four engines, probably running at close to max already, loss of one would not seem to be recoverable. Certainly they've thought of that, though.

      --
      His ignorance covered the whole earth like a blanket, and there was hardly a hole in it anywhere. - Mark Twain
    3. Re:geez by Myrdos · · Score: 1

      Maybe it's supposed to be a helicopter replacement instead of a motorcycle replacement? Imagine the dust that thing would kick up in a 20 meter radius...

    4. Re:geez by sysrammer · · Score: 1

      Dust in Dubai? Nah...

      --
      His ignorance covered the whole earth like a blanket, and there was hardly a hole in it anywhere. - Mark Twain
  11. Must be a joke by markdavis · · Score: 3, Insightful

    >"giving officers the ability to zoom over congested traffic conditions by taking to the air...

    Insanely unsafe to have that thing go OVER cars and people. 4 unprotected rotors? One operator error or equipment malfunction and it can chop people or things to bits or just fall out of the air like a 500 pound rock.

    >"The fully-electric hoverbike stays aloft for about 25 minutes per charge"

    And then you have to get back to the charger, so that is an outward range of what, 12.5 miles?? And it probably can only carry a single person with minimal equipment, right?

    Is this a joke?

    1. Re:Must be a joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The USA doesn't have the balls to develop new aviation technology. You'd rather cry like babies about health and safety issues.

      That's the joke.

    2. Re:Must be a joke by avandesande · · Score: 1

      I haven't seen even a very crude prototype of this kind without covered blades

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
    3. Re:Must be a joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You think having a human sitting on top of a drone instead of having it be self-driving is innovation? I'm sure Lockheed and Boeing are having a good chuckle at that stupid piece of shit.

    4. Re: Must be a joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your joke has no basis in reality.

      Hover bikes are not aviation, they're hovering. They cannot take to the skies. This is like comparing flies to eagles. Flies become wind's bitch at any significant height, much like any bike shaped object would.

    5. Re:Must be a joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nah, that's Europe.

    6. Re:Must be a joke by meerling · · Score: 1

      You haven't been paying attention to the crazy new flying inventions people have been messing around with, including various versions of flycycles.
      Of course, with so little out there type research being done and publicized by corporations these days, we just hear about the lone inventors and small shops.
      Besides, the US pretty much did 90% of the basic development of that kind of vehicle back in the 50s & 60s. It's just not practical. (Cool doesn't win wars or transport people safely.)

    7. Re: Must be a joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The helicopter was developed in Germany.

    8. Re:Must be a joke by PinkyGigglebrain · · Score: 1

      The rulers of Dubai have a long history of spending their money on things like this. Consider the idea to bring icebergs from the Antarctic as a source of fresh water, then there was the plan to build artificial islands that look like the continents of the world, and many, many more that made for great PR talking points and gets them into the world news but were never finished, and never will be.

  12. How to get your legs chopped up in 3 easy step. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Step 1 : Get on that bike
    Step 2 : Start the engine/propellers.
    Step 3 : The deed is done.

  13. I've got just two words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Ballistic Parachute

    1. Re:I've got just two words by meerling · · Score: 1

      Too close to the ground for it to be anything other than unwanted weight

  14. Misplaced concerns regarding safety by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Funny

    And you all call yourself nerds...

    That hover bike doesn't need lame crap like blade protectors. What it DOES need is a couple of rocket launchers.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
  15. Not only will you wipe out by future+assassin · · Score: 2

    but cut up by the blades.

    --
    by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
  16. Now, in the 'hover'-space by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... Hover-bikes ...

    Hover-bike: A quad-copter with a seat and flight controls. A few weeks ago it was "hover-taxi" vehicles in Dubai: Again, a quad-copter with a seat.

  17. Crime rate? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is there even a crime rate sufficient to justify that much police equipment? Or is it just to show off how much money they have? Will this end up helping them or biting them in the ass when the lower classes revolt?

    1. Re:Crime rate? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Dubai police also have Lamborghini cruisers.

    2. Re:Crime rate? by meerling · · Score: 1

      It's definitely NOT to fight crime or perform normal police activities.
      The only thing this is good for is to let some of them think that nobody will notice their small dicks.

  18. Bunch of wimp comments. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I want to put a bike engine on one of those things!
    Should be able to at least double the range and pick up the pace a bit.
    I'd like to get about 60mph or so out of it.
    Be great for my daily commute!

  19. 3 ambulances for the price of one! by Jfetjunky · · Score: 1

    1 for the original emergency
    1 for the rider of the crashed "hoverbike"
    1 for the poor soul now missing a limb thanks to the crashed "hoverbike"

    1. Re:3 ambulances for the price of one! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In all fairness, I doubt the second 2 would need ambulances. They would most likely need a hearse.

  20. Let's put on my controls engineer hat by RightwingNutjob · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This thing sucks. With the guy sitting up above the plane of the rotor (or hanging down below), the moment of inertia is about as high as it gets, meaning the control authority of the rotors is lower. At the same time, sitting up that high, the lever arm for the aerodynamic force from wind disturbances catching the rider are maximized. Side-to-side the baseline between the rotors is lower than front-to-back. That's why you see him wobble side-to-side when he flew down the parking lot.

    These statements generally hold true for all aircraft, which is why larger aircraft are "safer" from a wind gust perspective than smaller aircraft. So what we've got here is something that's pretty bad from a stability perspective being pitched for an application where agility is necessary and the wind gust environment around them skyscrapers in the desert is potentially quite severe.

    More money than brains.

    1. Re:Let's put on my controls engineer hat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      These people suck down the dick of a desert pedofile. The “prophet” was a shitbag. Here is his picture wanking and thinking about his child bride
      0->’

      What a legacy.

    2. Re:Let's put on my controls engineer hat by w3woody · · Score: 1

      Ah, hell; just put the center of mass below the plane of the cuisinart blades so the weight hangs from the blades rather than is balanced on top, and it would help some with stability. I mean, even small low wing aircraft shape the wings as a 'V' with the center of mass below the bulk of the lifting surface, so as to have positive static stability...

    3. Re:Let's put on my controls engineer hat by RightwingNutjob · · Score: 1

      That's only for aerofoils in forward flight. Above/below makes much less of a difference in slow hover with fixed orientation propellers.

    4. Re:Let's put on my controls engineer hat by w3woody · · Score: 2

      I guess that's why they put the blades of a helicopter on the bottom...

    5. Re:Let's put on my controls engineer hat by sysrammer · · Score: 1

      Whop whop whop.

      --
      His ignorance covered the whole earth like a blanket, and there was hardly a hole in it anywhere. - Mark Twain
    6. Re:Let's put on my controls engineer hat by Fahrvergnuugen · · Score: 1

      As a 5" Mini Race Quad builder/pilot, your comment is interesting to me.

      With mini quads, the largest weight is the battery (Typically 170 grams which is 50% of the craft weight). Because the battery has to be easily swapable, it is very often installed on top or on bottom of the frame, which puts it either above or below the center line of the props.

      There is a long standing argument back and forth for which design is better, but because the power to weight ratio is so high and the PID loop in the flight controller is so good, both generally fly exactly the same. The only time you notice a difference is when doing a flip or roll, as the center of gravity heavily influences the pivot point.

      So my question is, what is the main difference between what we are experiencing with Mini Quads vs full sized manned aircraft?

      Is it simply due to the power to weight ratio? (Mini Quads are typically north of 7:1 power to weight, which I'm sure is much higher than a manned multirotor craft)

      --
      Kiteboarding Gear Mention slashdot and get 10% off!
    7. Re:Let's put on my controls engineer hat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, but it's why putting a rocket motor on the bottom isn't unstable.

    8. Re:Let's put on my controls engineer hat by RightwingNutjob · · Score: 1

      Helicopter rotors aren't rigid to the body of the vehicle, there's a little flexibility built into it. That's so that the big spinning gyroscope that is the rotor can keep its orientation. That's why it is more correct to think of it as hanging from its rotor. The quadcoptor rotors are rigid and tilt with the vehicle. It's more like a rocket, like another poster below has said.

    9. Re:Let's put on my controls engineer hat by RightwingNutjob · · Score: 1

      Moment of inertia goes like size squared. So your 5" mini will be much more agile than the 5 ft whatever in the video. That means it canhave that tight PID loop because the rotational equivalent of the thrust-to-weight ratio (ie torque to moment) is so much higher for the smaller vehicle. Like I said above, the sweetspot for manned vehicles favors larger, because what you lose in control authority you make up for in not needing it since you're so big and apt to stay put in the presence of disturbance. For unmanned, you can and should go small. Ain't nothin' more agile than a hummingbird.

    10. Re:Let's put on my controls engineer hat by sootman · · Score: 1

      Let's put on my robe and wizard hat.

      Oops, sorry, wrong window.

      --
      Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
  21. Danger Will Robinson by AndyKron · · Score: 1

    Anyone for sliced ham?

    1. Re:Danger Will Robinson by blindseer · · Score: 1

      That's not kosher.

      If you are going to make a "cops are pigs" joke then maybe a comment on "when pigs fly" is better.

      I can just think of this hoverbike running out of charge while on the move over a crowded area. It's coming down, maybe with the blades still spinning, and it will make a mess. With enough charge for only 25 minutes it will be too easy to run out on even a short run out to a location and then it will have to find a place to land safely. If the area is too crowded for police on motorcycles, cars, or horses to get to then it's too crowded to land this thing. If they want police to be able to fly overhead and drop in to serve in emergencies then perhaps a cargo helicopter with rappel lines.

      Unlike this hover bike a helicopter has a much better chance of being able to actually recover the officer and/or anyone in need of evacuation. Put a recovery pulley like on Coast Guard search and rescue helicopters to bring people up. No new technology needed, only a sane evaluation of the problem being solved.

      --
      I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
    2. Re: Danger Will Robinson by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All pseudo Innovation These days comprises an electric Motor. Didnt you read the communist Innovation manifesto ?

    3. Re:Danger Will Robinson by retchdog · · Score: 1

      it's Dubai; you meant "halal".

      --
      "They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
  22. why 25 minutes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because that will get you from one end of Dubai to the other...though how will these catch a Lambo or Ferrari? I suspect that once the first dozen crash into buildings @ 43 mph these will be relegated to the "wouldn't it be cool" pile of other "good ideas".

    1. Re:why 25 minutes by meerling · · Score: 1

      Make a sharp turn, that'll lose the sucker pretty easy. Or if he's right behind you, hit the brakes. That thing doesn't have the redirectable thrust, or control surfaces similar to any effective aircraft, and it absolutely doesn't have enough traction to use that. Though it is rather unstable and has to use a lot of it's thrust to keep from flipping over and killing the pilot. It's a joke, not a modern starwars speeder bike.

  23. Nice try by antifoidulus · · Score: 1

    Nice try but I'm still choosing Leader over Mohammed, at least Leader has an amazing spaceship he won't show us.

    --
    Monstar L
  24. Let them waste their money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They are going to learn all of it's problems the hard way. That thing is probably slow as hell and you could disable it with ease. It's not like they have an actual crime problem anyway. They might as well just drive around in gold-plated police cars. I can't tell if they are flaunting their wealth or their lack of crime.

    1. Re:Let them waste their money by retchdog · · Score: 1

      "They might as well just drive around in gold-plated police cars."

      pretty sure they already do, which is why they needed something even more ridiculous to top it.

      --
      "They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
  25. Bolas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bolas are this thing's kryptonite. You just have to be willing to take the risk of being close enough to use them, since it's likely the hoverbike will flip around and break apart unpredictably when one or more blades get tangled.

  26. Splatter Proof Uniforms by warewolfsmith · · Score: 1

    The invention of the hover bike saw a parallel evolution with the rise of splatter proof uniforms, the addition of handles for easy cadaver manipulation was also considered a boon, this was a boom time for the Police force with 20 new recruits required every month to replace the dearly departed.

  27. Much easier ... by Qbertino · · Score: 1

    Can be taken out by an awkwardly thrown loose ball of string.

    --
    We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
  28. Ridiculous Wealth by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is as ridiculous as their jetpack firefighter idea. The blades will probably kill more people than save.

  29. Wait until it gets full of eels by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I will not buy this record, it is scratched.

    captcha: tumble

    1. Re:Wait until it gets full of eels by Kiaser+Zohsay · · Score: 1

      What is the terminal velocity of an unladen eel?

      --
      I am not your blowing wind, I am the lightning.
  30. Wrong Hat. by hey! · · Score: 2

    You know, the Dubai police also have a fleet of 14 hypercars -- Bugattis, Lambos, McLarens. With your engineer hat, you'd wonder why not pick one and standardize on that?

    Because they don't have them to chase down joy riders in other supercars, as most people assume. The Dubai police has a collection of million dollar cars for the same reason a middle-aged dot-com billionaire does: because they think it makes them look cool. The Dubai police hypercars don't do high speed chases on desert highways, they patrol places with lots of pedestrian traffic. You can flag one down and the officer will let you take a selfie with him.

    They don't buy this kind shit for policing. They buy it for branding. And it works. If they didn't do this kind of stuff far fewer people around the world would even have heard about them. Now everybody know that Dubai is not only rich, but ridiculously rich. That gives them a higher profile, and in turn translates into political influence.

    --
    Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    1. Re:Wrong Hat. by RightwingNutjob · · Score: 1

      If the McLarens exploded and killed the officer every other day, that would be bad branding.

  31. Low tech rules by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nothing so fancy.

    Just a net cannon( anti drone like) and that thing is a smoking crater.

    Pffft.

  32. So what is your point? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So would a well timed and well placed bullet.

    You got a point in there somewhere?

  33. Fahrenheit 451 Anyone? by tmjva · · Score: 1

    Just like the cops in the movie.

    --
    Tracy Johnson
    Old fashioned text games hosted below:
    http://empire.openmpe.com/
    BT
  34. awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    uncovered propeller blades tearing through a crowd.... seems safe to me

  35. Spending priorities by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dubai will buy anything rather than spend a dollar to provide basic human decency for its migrant labor population.

  36. In other news... by cyn1c77 · · Score: 1

    Dubai police are planning on significant attrition due to forced disability after many officers accidentally cut their legs off when flying these new devices, which have no propeller guards.

  37. Your one-way ticket to midnight by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

    Meanwhile, the sci-fi future the US is starting to resemble is Harry Canyon from Heavy Metal.

    --
    (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.