South Korea is investing around 24.5 billion won ($22 million) to develop the so-called K-Drone System by 2022
A demonstration and a test-run of a drone taxi, capable of carrying two people, was organised by South Korea’s transport ministry and Seoul City conducted in Seoul on Wednesday. South Korea has been working to move towards launching unmanned air vehicles by 2025. The event, near Seoul’s Han River, offered a glimpse into the future and what flying vehicles might look like in a densely populated city.
South Korea is investing around 24.5 billion won ($22 million) through 2022 to develop the so-called K-Drone System.
Wednesday’s demonstration was held at the riverside park. The demo started with the flight of several small drones, which are designed to monitor traffic conditions and alert any potential danger. Later the two-seater drone, made by Chinese company EHang, began its take-off. The present safety regulations do not allow human passengers were on board unmanned aerial vehicles and hence the 5.6-metre-wide drone carried 70 kilograms of rice bags in its seats.
EHang claims that it’s 216 passenger-grade auto aerial vehicle’s can fly for as long as 30 minutes when the electric battery is fully charged.
McKinsey & Co estimates the potential market size for drones could touch $46 billion in the US alone by 2026. In Japan, it could reach around $20 billion by 2025, according to a forecast by drone startup Skyrobot Inc. South Korea estimates its own local market for aerial vehicles will be about 13 trillion won by 2040.
Balaji Subramanian 
Sahana A 
Divith Narendra