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