Why future urban mobility won’t be limited to the ground
dubai — The future of urban mobility will evolve to a point where only a fraction of transportation will be limited to the roads, experts at the 38th Gitex Technology Week exhibition said.
“When little kids play with toy cars, how many of them actually keep them on the ground?” asked Matthew Griffin, CEO and founder of 311 Institute, in his keynote presentation at the event. “The promise about the future of transportation was always about rockets and flying cars. The reality today is very much removed from that dream; our roads are chocked with traffic and our cities full of smog.”
However, Griffin pointed out that the future will hold a lot of excitement, especially when it comes to four main areas. The first has to do with ‘transportation on demand’, where commuters simply call a car to them using a mobile device.
“We are already seeing this with the Careems and Ubers of the world. However, the problem that arises is when the driver actually cancels the ride. This is where regulation and the like comes in to ensure a smoother process. This also brings me to the second area where we will say goodbye to operators. The future will involve a lot more players who will go directly to commuters and cut out the middle man.”
The third area revolved around electric experiences. Griffin noted that electricity will beat out every other form of energy in the transportation sector. He added that the future of electric transport will also be battery-less and that the vehicles will be wirelessly powered from renewable sources, and that new energy generating and storage materials will replace cumbersome batteries.
The last area revolved around the end of cars. “If you remove the wheels, the pedals and engine, is it really a car or a pod? The future might not even involve cars, but pods powered by Artificial Intelligence,” said Griffin.
“Now that we have what is essentially a pod, we can start impacting other industries,” he explained. “Can we bring a shop to you? Can we bring a clinic to you? There is no stopping you from re-inventing the way other industries interact with you. The potential to transform your industries and your businesses is amazing even with these basic pods. Technology lets you jump between industries like never before.”
Dubai, he added, is already taking the steps needed to create the transportation of the future, which will not all be tied to the ground. He highlighted the successful trials of the RTA flying taxis, and the work being done on other modes of transportation such as the Hyperloop, which can make a journey that would usually take a few hours in a matter of minutes.
There is no stopping you from re-inventing the way other industries interact with you Matthew Griffin, CEO and founder of 311 Institute