The Future of Intelligent Mobility
Individual elements of 'mobility' began to homogenise from the invention of the wheel. But it takes time for apparently unconnected elements to merge into a comprehensive solution due to imagination and what may be possible. However, as the term 'Intelligent Mobility Solutions' implies, a broader view of mobility is used when considering such solutions.
Innovation is becoming a broader term often considering external elements that could be integrated into a particular solution, rather than focused on improving a particular methodology in isolation. For example, considering how to help people with disabilities to travel on public transport initially led to making space on buses and trains for wheelchairs but with a wider view, helped by the Disability Discrimination Act (1995), the whole journey began to be considered and led to raised kerbs at bus stops, drop kerbs and so on. Yet still more of a 'tick list' for a time.
Mobility as a Service (Maas) is evolving for many reasons; practicality, costs of mobility, personal circumstances of the population, emerging technology, the economy and more. The evolution of technology is also broadening beyond individual solutions and often suggests integration with similar technologies used in other areas. The UK has finally caught up with other countries by adopting e-scooters in most UK cities and it is noticeable how many are left close to bus stops. This is a strong indication that another element of the door to door journey now includes something other than walking. e-scooters (and city e-Bikes) were possibly this single most important missing element in our travel plans, they can be found quickly via the app and left in any sensible and authorised area.
Younger generations growing with emerging technology are well placed to imagine far beyond what we currently believe to be possible and fuels exponential development. The traditional tick lists of requirements is replaced with imagination and designing toward that, often developing new technology en-route.
An ability to 'see' the future beyond the next evolutionary step is necessary for sustainability otherwise designing for the future is limited to the known and what could be developed from that; an inbuilt barrier to potential.
A good example of merging technologies is the highway network.
The 'next step' could be seen as all vehicles being Clean and Connected with Autonomy level 5 available; many people enjoy driving so manual operation may remain possible away from areas of increased risk; schools. parks, shops etc. The vehicle will be electric and will interact with local vehicles and infrastructure to maintain safety and traffic signals will not be necessary. Energy will come from the environment and delivered on-the-go from solar, kinetic and radio waves, made possible once outdated Battery technology has been replaced by Graphene (or similar 2D materials) based super-capacitors.
Due to the incredible properties of Graphene, such a vehicle will be highly energy efficient. Resistance is expected from the energy supply industry, battery manufacturers and those providing & installing charging-posts because profit seems to come before all else, including the carbon footprint. However, Super Capacitors will replace batteries once the resistance has been overcome.
Beyond the currently vision, individuality owned transport is likely to be replaced by a coordinated solution that caters for each element of a journey. A major problem with autonomy is the short sighted view that autonomous vehicles must negotiate the existing archaic transport network infiltrated with random moving objects; such as people, animals, cyclists, buses, lorries, emergency vehicles and more.
We must not try to develop a system to avoid dozens of random events along a desired path. Instead, we should be creating safe space for those vehicles as we do for aircraft. In spite of decades of autopilot development in aircraft (even Concorde could land itself in fog in the 1970s), autopilot is still limited to controlling the aircraft safely but with limited consideration of obstacles in its external environment, other than TCAS (traffic warning) and ground proximity. Flight relies on a corridor system without conflict.
Road space must be created for autonomous vehicles to; a) remove much of the conflict, and b) to increase the evolution of this (now simpler) technology and move from fossil fuelled, non-CAV individual transport.
How can this be achieved?
Covid19 has instigated change. Prior to any successful treatment, the emphasis is; a) not to travel, b) not use public transport, and c) if you have to travel, use personal vehicles, walk or cycle. As such, local authorities have begun restructuring the highway to create safe space for cycles, often removing one lane of a two lane dual carriageway. But with more people using their cars, congestion, pollution and risk to health has returned to pre-COVID levels in many cities.
In spite of the new cycling measures, it remains unlikely that the uptake will eventually justify the effort, and as the relentless effort to discourage private vehicle ownership continues, roads may become less congested. It is likely that how road space is shared will become the focus and this is one area TBL is developing.
Above ground '3D transport' is coming, along with underground rapid systems for passengers and freight. Like it or not, the benefits of MaaS would appear to outweigh any benefit in owning a vehicle... apart from the personal freedom of Not being connected!
Touching Blue Limited is a UK company
Innovation is becoming a broader term often considering external elements that could be integrated into a particular solution, rather than focused on improving a particular methodology in isolation. For example, considering how to help people with disabilities to travel on public transport initially led to making space on buses and trains for wheelchairs but with a wider view, helped by the Disability Discrimination Act (1995), the whole journey began to be considered and led to raised kerbs at bus stops, drop kerbs and so on. Yet still more of a 'tick list' for a time.
Mobility as a Service (Maas) is evolving for many reasons; practicality, costs of mobility, personal circumstances of the population, emerging technology, the economy and more. The evolution of technology is also broadening beyond individual solutions and often suggests integration with similar technologies used in other areas. The UK has finally caught up with other countries by adopting e-scooters in most UK cities and it is noticeable how many are left close to bus stops. This is a strong indication that another element of the door to door journey now includes something other than walking. e-scooters (and city e-Bikes) were possibly this single most important missing element in our travel plans, they can be found quickly via the app and left in any sensible and authorised area.
Younger generations growing with emerging technology are well placed to imagine far beyond what we currently believe to be possible and fuels exponential development. The traditional tick lists of requirements is replaced with imagination and designing toward that, often developing new technology en-route.
An ability to 'see' the future beyond the next evolutionary step is necessary for sustainability otherwise designing for the future is limited to the known and what could be developed from that; an inbuilt barrier to potential.
A good example of merging technologies is the highway network.
The 'next step' could be seen as all vehicles being Clean and Connected with Autonomy level 5 available; many people enjoy driving so manual operation may remain possible away from areas of increased risk; schools. parks, shops etc. The vehicle will be electric and will interact with local vehicles and infrastructure to maintain safety and traffic signals will not be necessary. Energy will come from the environment and delivered on-the-go from solar, kinetic and radio waves, made possible once outdated Battery technology has been replaced by Graphene (or similar 2D materials) based super-capacitors.
Due to the incredible properties of Graphene, such a vehicle will be highly energy efficient. Resistance is expected from the energy supply industry, battery manufacturers and those providing & installing charging-posts because profit seems to come before all else, including the carbon footprint. However, Super Capacitors will replace batteries once the resistance has been overcome.
Beyond the currently vision, individuality owned transport is likely to be replaced by a coordinated solution that caters for each element of a journey. A major problem with autonomy is the short sighted view that autonomous vehicles must negotiate the existing archaic transport network infiltrated with random moving objects; such as people, animals, cyclists, buses, lorries, emergency vehicles and more.
We must not try to develop a system to avoid dozens of random events along a desired path. Instead, we should be creating safe space for those vehicles as we do for aircraft. In spite of decades of autopilot development in aircraft (even Concorde could land itself in fog in the 1970s), autopilot is still limited to controlling the aircraft safely but with limited consideration of obstacles in its external environment, other than TCAS (traffic warning) and ground proximity. Flight relies on a corridor system without conflict.
Road space must be created for autonomous vehicles to; a) remove much of the conflict, and b) to increase the evolution of this (now simpler) technology and move from fossil fuelled, non-CAV individual transport.
How can this be achieved?
Covid19 has instigated change. Prior to any successful treatment, the emphasis is; a) not to travel, b) not use public transport, and c) if you have to travel, use personal vehicles, walk or cycle. As such, local authorities have begun restructuring the highway to create safe space for cycles, often removing one lane of a two lane dual carriageway. But with more people using their cars, congestion, pollution and risk to health has returned to pre-COVID levels in many cities.
In spite of the new cycling measures, it remains unlikely that the uptake will eventually justify the effort, and as the relentless effort to discourage private vehicle ownership continues, roads may become less congested. It is likely that how road space is shared will become the focus and this is one area TBL is developing.
Above ground '3D transport' is coming, along with underground rapid systems for passengers and freight. Like it or not, the benefits of MaaS would appear to outweigh any benefit in owning a vehicle... apart from the personal freedom of Not being connected!
Touching Blue Limited is a UK company
