Korean Skycar PRT
Skycar is a Korean entry into the Personal Rapid
Transit technology race. It is being developed by a Korean company called Woo Bo
Enterprise Co., Ltd, located in Seoul, Korea. This infopage is based on a brochure
recently produced by Woo Bo that is written in Korean. Little is currently known about the
state of development of Skycar, but it is known that the company is actively seeking funds
for engineering and testing. Work on Skycar began in 1992 and several feasibility studies
for specific sites in Korea have been conducted. It appears that the Skycar PRT concept is
very similar to the American TAXI 2000 PRT concept with some important differences in the
design of the guideway and in the use of an electromagnetic switch instead of a mechanical
switch. Other differences will be revealed after patents have been obtained.
According to the Woo Bo brochure, the system would feature 3-passenger vehicles, a
linear motor, and guidewheels for stabilization and steering. The guideway is a
"U" shaped steel structure with integrated power supply, signal, communication,
steering and control equipment. Performance is stated to be a minimum headway of 1/2
second, maximum capacity of 7,200 vehicles per hour, average capacity of 6,000 vph,
maximum passenger capacity of 18,000 persons per hour and average capacity of 9,000
persons per hour (at an average occupancy of 1.5 persons per vehicle). Average speeds are
expected to range from 45-60 kph. A propulsion system development study and a
control/communication system development study were performed by an outside company in
1994. Woo Bo formed an adjunct Transportation and Urban Research Institute in 1992 to
assist the further development of the Skycar concept.
This infopage includes links to 12 images from the Skycar brochure. Together, they
provide a good introduction to the attributes of this emerging technology. The images have
been grouped into three categories: (1) photo montages of Skycar operating in various
urban settings, (2) some details of Skycar station prototypes and (3) some details of the
Skycar vehicle.
Five photo montages from the WooBo brochure (about 500k bytes)
Four Skycar station sketches (about 100k bytes)
Three Skycar vehicle sketches and descriptions, (about 60k
bytes)
To obtain more information about other PRT technologies, click HERE
For more information about PRT development work in Korea, see the abstract of a paper
by Ray MacDonald .
More details can be obtained directly from the Woo Bo company at the following address:
In-Gi KIM, President
Woobo Enterprises Company, Ltd., Samwon Building, 5th Floor
Nonhyun-dong 210-1 Kangnam-Ku , Seoul, Korea
Ph: ++ 822-549-6011 or 822-549-6211/3; Fax: ++ 822-549-6214-5
As of June, 1998, word has been received that WooBo Enterprises has gone bankrupt. It
is not known if work on the Skycar concept will be continued or not in the future.
Last modified: September 11, 2002