While the first prototypes of self-driving cars are taking the roads, Amsterdam will get the first autonomous boats on its canals next year. “Roboats” will completely change the city’s infrastructure.
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS Institute), Delft University of Technology (TUD), and Wageningen University and Research (WUR) announced the first major research project on autonomous vessels in metropolitan areas. The project will take five years and has a grand budget of 25 million euros.
Roboats is the first large-scale research on exploring and testing the rich set of possibilities for autonomous systems on water. The scope of the project is not just autonomous boats for the transport of goods and people. The researchers are also looking into dynamic and temporary floating infrastructure like on-demand bridges and stages that allow assembly and disassembly in just a couple of hours.
“Roboat offers enormous possibilities,” says Professor Arjan van Timmeren, AMS Institute’s Scientific Director, “as we’ll also be exploring environmental sensing. We could for instance do further research on underwater robots that can detect diseases at an early stage or use Roboats to rid the canals from floating waste and find a more efficient way to handle the 12,000 bicycles that end up in the city’s canals each year.” These underwater Roboats will also gather data on environmental aspects like water quality, air quality, and noise to keep track of these features of an urban area over time.
This means Roboats are not just a form of transport. They are platforms that should be able to join together to form temporary bridges or extend the shore at times of peak demand. Think of the opportunities during rush hour or during a festival. I can tell from my own experience that more efficient transportation and infrastructure like mentioned above are very much needed during those times.
So, why do we need Roboats? The project aims to improve transportation, mobility and water quality in metropolitan areas. With 60% of the world population living around coasts, riverbanks and deltas, researchers expect the Roboat project to become an example for urban areas around the world. In addition, it could be a source of international entrepreneurial initiatives and start-ups researching autonomy in the marine world. Finally, Roboats can give insights for assessment and predictions on ecological quality.
The first Roboat prototypes are expected to be floating on the canals of Amsterdam in 2017. What do you think about this new research? Do you think it will be valuable for metropolitan areas all around the world, and in the future?
Sources:
http://www.ams-institute.org/roboat/
