Etisalat is pushing boundaries of innovation with its impressive digital showcase, signaling the new future of mobility at this year’s GITEX Technology Week.

This is in line with Etisalat’s continuous efforts to boost the Dubai Government strategy to raise the share of autonomous transport to as much as 25% of the total transportation in the emirate by 2030. Autonomous technologies will get a boost with the 5G network enjoying the benefits of high speed and ultra-low latency influencing the development of self-driving cars making them faster, smarter and safer.

In recent years, the mobility sector has seen tremendous innovation, change and disruption, with more power to change the world, user experience and connected services that are enabling the future of mobility. Electric vehicles, mobility as a service, and autonomous driving are changing how we work and go on in our daily lives.

Etisalat’s objective is to drive the digital future by taking the lead in innovation to bring futuristic technologies from around the world to UAE and the region.

Making a grand entrance at GITEX this year is the Renault EZ-ULTIMO, a robo-vehicle equipped with level 4 autonomous driving capability for a premium and immersive mobility experience. Powered by an all-electric drivetrain, it can connect to urban environments and highway infrastructure, and can drive itself without human input both in the city and on the highway.

Taking off from Etisalat’s stand is the Lazareth Flying Motorcycle, a four-wheeled mechanical sculpture around a 5.2-litre V8 Maserati engine.  The flying motorcycle can convert from ride to fly mode in approximately 60 seconds.

Another crowd puller at Etisalat’s stand is the LIFT Aircraft’s Hexa drone-like aircraft that is controlled using a joystick in the cockpit and stabilised by a flight computer. It weighs around 200kg, seats one person and has 18 set of propellers, motors and batteries. In the event of an emergency, flight controllers can take over the aircraft and fly it remotely like a drone. The aircraft can travel just more than 97kph at top speed and includes air-cushioned floats, allowing it to land on water if necessary.

Visitors who wish to enjoy the ultimate freedom of a bird and intuitively explore the skies can head over to the Etisalat stand to experience a breathtaking and refreshing experience with Birdly. Unlike a common flight simulator that requires a joystick, mouse and/or numerous buttons, Birdly users command their full-body VR flight experience instinctively with arms and hands, embodying the feeling of being a bird.

The ‘WheeM-I’ (Wheelchairs Mobility Interface), a semi-autonomous electric vehicle making travelling within the city easier for people with a lightweight manual wheelchair, is making its presence for the first time globally. Connected via an app, it will enable users to interact with the device, with other wheelchair users, and other means of transport and transport applications via an application programming interface.