Emerging technologies that could have major impacts on transportation

A recent report by US Volpe experts identifies eleven emerging technologies and innovative applications that may have significant impacts on our transportation systems within three to five years. The report, 2015 OST-R Transportation Technology Scan: A Look Ahead, identifies technological advances and innovative concepts, along with their associated benefits, challenges and risks that could fundamentally alter the transportation landscape:
January 29, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
RSS

A recent report by US 8306 Volpe experts identifies eleven emerging technologies and innovative applications that may have significant impacts on our transportation systems within three to five years.

The report, 2015 OST-R Transportation Technology Scan: A Look Ahead, identifies technological advances and innovative concepts, along with their associated benefits, challenges and risks that could fundamentally alter the transportation landscape:
These include: Additive manufacturing (3D printing); Advanced analytics and machine learning; Automated vehicles; Hyperloop; Infrastructure inspection robots; Innovative concepts for protecting pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists; The Internet of Things; Materials science in infrastructure; On-demand ride services (transportation network companies); Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS); Wireless power transfer.

“Advances in just the past decade have dramatically changed the way Americans travel and deliver goods, and the pace of change is something we cannot dictate,” writes US DOT assistant secretary for research and technology Gregory Winfree in the report’s foreword.

“This is why we must be proactive and look to new technologies that have clear applications for transportation. However, new technologies can also introduce new risks, and we must anticipate the full range of potential impacts.”

The report also notes external factors that could maximise or hinder potential, such as the growing role of data and connectivity, changes to the workforce, and the uncertain impact of these technologies on travel behaviour.

Location Based Systems

Related Content

  • November 23, 2018
    Vision technology: the future in focus
    Just a few years ago, terms such as ‘embedded’ and ‘polarisation’ were buzzwords. But now they are real and present examples of vision technology in action – and, Adam Hill finds, the ITS industry is waking up to a number of possible applications Every aspect of the intelligent transportation systems industry moves quickly – but developments in camera technology change with a rapidity which can appear quite bewildering. And with ITS providers constantly searching for an edge against fierce competitio
    Read More
  • March 21, 2014
    Driver error is no barriers to road safety
    Michael Dreznes, Executive Vice President at the International Roads Federation (IRF), is passionate about the use of the Safe System Approach to make roads more forgiving around the world
    Read More
  • March 6, 2015
    New range extenders for hybrid electric vehicles in 2015
    According to the IDTechEx report Range Extenders for Electric Vehicles Land, Water & Air 2015-2025, over eight million hybrid cars will be made in 2025, with a range extender, the additional power source that distinguishes them from pure-electric. They will also be in buses, military vehicles and boats: a major new market overall. Today's range extenders consist of little more than off-the-shelf internal combustion engines. They are being replaced by second-generation range extenders - piston engines design
    Read More
  • March 17, 2016
    ‘Free’ power for signs, shelters and so much more
    David Crawford looks at the sunny side of the street. Solar power has been relatively slow in entering the transport sector, but a current blossoming of activity bodes well for the large-scale harnessing of an alternative energy that is zero-emission at source and, in practical terms, infinitely renewable. Traffic management and traveller information systems, and actual vehicles, are all emerging as areas for deployment. Meanwhile roads themselves are being viewed as new-style, fossil fuel-free ‘power stati
    Read More

Highlighted Content