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

  • June 23, 2014
    ITS America, automakers respond to Rubio-Booker 5.9 GHz spectrum legislation
    The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) and US automakers have responded to the announcement on legislation introduced by US Senators Marco Rubio and Cory Booker that would set deadlines on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for developing and publishing a test plan for the use of unlicensed devices in the 5.9 GHz band. The senators introduced S. 2505, the Wi-Fi Innovation Act, legislation to expand unlicensed spectrum use by requiring the Federal Communications Commissio
    Read More
  • March 15, 2021
    AVs could worsen air quality, says report
    Canadian experts say need for data also threatens privacy and increases cybersecurity risk
    Read More
  • October 19, 2015
    Tighten up on cyber security before hackers infiltrate ITS infrastructure
    This year’s ITS World Congress in Bordeaux will have three sessions dedicated to cyber security and the issue will also be addressed under connected and automated vehicles categories. Jon Masters finds out why. American security researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek attracted international press coverage recently when they demonstrated how they could hack into and take control of a vehicle from a remote laptop. While the implications are clearly serious for vehicle manufacturers, highway and transpor
    Read More
  • May 8, 2015
    Joined-up thinking for future ITS
    David Crawford looks at a US model which, for modest federal funding, is producing substantive results. Outward and upward is the clear message emerging from the US$458,000, 2015 workplan of the US government’s ENTERPRISE (Evaluating New TEchnologies for Roads PRogram Initiatives in Safety and Efficiency) joint funding scheme for ITS research.
    Read More

Highlighted Content