News

The Presentations and Videos are available now in the new INIST Shop. Unfortunately the video of the 'Human-Technology Interface' session was corrupted somehow and is therefore unavailable for download. The video of 'Control System Alternatives' is incomplete, unfortunately Sebastian Thrun's presentation was not recorded. In addition some presentations are still missing. They will be published as soon as possible.[more]

(Silicon Valley Watcher, By Tom Foremski) A panel of experts will explain how the first generation of podcars, also known as Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) systems, are already working in other cities in the UK, Sweden, Abu Dhabi, and elsewhere. They will also explore the current state of the new technology -- from its environmental benefits, to how this new system expands mobility and reduces traffic congestion and pollution, sharing tips on how other urban areas can get on board. [more]

(ABC local / KGO-TV/DT, by Heather Ishimaru) SAN JOSE, CA (KGO) -- San Jose could become the first city in the United States to put in what's commonly known as a "pod car system." The cutting edge transportation technology is now carrying passengers at London's Heathrow Airport and San Jose is studying if pod cars would make sense here. [more]

Dear Friends and Associates, We readily anticipate presenting our fourth annual Podcar City Conference just a few days from now in San Jose, California ~ October 27-29. We are happy to announce that the event will surely be sold-out, with a handful of tickets available at the time of this writing, while the growing volume of traffic on our website suggests the topics covered in our program are both timely and of great interest to many. On behalf of our event’s charitable organizers, which include members of INIST, ATRA, KOMPASS, the Mineta Transportation Institute, and the City of San Jose, I want to extend a heart-felt thank you to our Sponsors and Exhibitors for your commitment to making this event so successful. It was the vision of the planning committee to inform, inspire, and provide an open networking forum in a pleasant, comfortable environment. Your contribution has helped to make our vision a reality by offsetting the cost of holding the Conference in a place as central, striking and iconic [more]

Steve Raney is Principal at ULTra PRT North America. He was lead researcher for the US Environmental Protection Agency's "Transforming Office Parks into Transit Villages" study for Pleasanton. He was project manager for BART's Group Rapid Transit study. He has conducted technology product research for Microsoft, Citigroup, and Silicon Valley start-ups. He is the author of ten scholarly transportation papers. His "smartphone carpool assistant" is patented. Raney holds three masters: business, software, and transportation from Columbia, RPI, and Berkeley. Raney is also Executive Director, Cities21, a smart growth think tank. He is also co-founder of the YIMBY group, Alliance for a Livable Palo Alto. [more]

On Friday October 29, a special invitational event will take place for all cities interested in collaboration for creating a roadmap toward Podcar development in the USA & beyond. [more]

On September 30 th 2010, an attentive assembly of New York State officials welcomed a presentation by members of C&S Engineers and Connect Ithaca, LLC in Albany, NY. The research team was in the state capitol delivering the findings of its Preliminary Feasibility Report for the utilization of PRT as a means to reduce VMTs in Ithaca and greater New York. Co-sponsored by the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), the study focused on the City of Ithaca as a case study to assess the viability of implementing Podcars in New York. [more]

Wednesday, October 27 2010 // 7 - 8:30 pm - THE TECH MUSEUM, 201 South Market Street, San Jose, CA[more]

GURGAON: Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has a high-tech solution that will address commuters' problems in one shot: Pod taxis. And he is serious about it. As Gurgaon residents well know, the city roads are an optical illusion. The unbroken chain of craters and ditches that pass for roads have for long burned holes in the pockets and hearts of the residents.[more]

(Intersection Magazine, by Euan Sey) We drew them at school, we watched them in cartoons as kids. Along with robots that do the housework and personal jetpacks, the car that drives itself has been a cliché of the future that never was for a generation or more. But 30 years after the first patent was registered, is the driverless car hnally about to make it into functioning reality? [more]