News JVTech The Line: the evolution of Saudi Arabia’s crazy project can be seen from space!
“The Line”. Under this rather simple name resides a pharaonic project initiated by Saudi Arabia. Work has already begun and if successful, should give life to the tallest structure in the world by creating a new futuristic city: Neom.
Saudi Arabia embarks on a sci-fi futuristic city project
Projects described as futuristic, we often hear about them. Whether in the laboratories of Silicon Valley or the crazy projects of a visionary, many of them are postponed for lack of financial and/or technological means, or even completely canceled. However, for some states like Saudi Arabia, this kind of concern is not. The absolute monarchy, which bases its fortune in particular on hydrocarbons, has an imperative need to innovate in order to be able to continue to shine in the future when its natural resources will have dried up.
After building the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, creating the tallest man-made structure ever built, a new large-scale project has been launched: Neom. The goal? Create a futuristic city in the middle of the desert. Powered by renewable energy, it would offer its citizens high-speed internet access, robotic servants, flying drone taxis and even an artificial moon.
Neom, The Line: A disproportionate project already visible from space
In principle, Neom is a fantastic project from all points of view. A city without carbon emissions, where everything is available just 5 minutes from home on foot, without cars with 100% renewable water and electricity management, nature within everyone’s reach, autonomous services facilitated by to artificial intelligence… There is reason to be genuinely interested in this project.
And what’s more, it’s not just a crazy dream, the work has already started and we were able to discover it thanks to the satellite images of the SOAR (Satellite for Orbital Aerodynamics Research) project. published on the MIT Technology Review website
Legend :
- In yellow you can see the place that “The Line” will take.
- Red dots represent diggers moving earth to purple locations.
- The blue dots represent the construction vehicles and are placed at the level of the base which is used by the workers.
- Finally, solar panels are visible in green.
Taking into account satellite images, it is estimated that 26 million cubic meters of earth and rock have already been excavated, or 78 times the volume of the Burj Khalifa. The gigantic project is still in its infancy, but if it goes through, it should be 500 meters high, 200 meters wide and a gargantuan 170 km long. And along the entire length, mirrors would be arranged in order to have an “elegant” facade.
If this construction raises many questions, the project itself is fascinating. Will we soon see 9 million inhabitants in Neom? Or will “The Line” project be abandoned in the dust? Only the future will tell!
