It is very likely, we often tell each other on this blog, that in the not too distant future our roads they will be full of autonomous vehicles. OIII is a fully autonomous mobility system concept built on an infrastructure for urban transport and delivery systems.
I reword for greater clarity: it is an autonomous urban transport platform that can “change shape”. It can carry people, or deliver packages, or a little and a little. With stuff like that around, traffic reduction and more effective, human-centered mobility would be much more accessible goals. Let's take a look at OIII.
OIII, Urban transport "transformer"
OIII (for friends O-Three) is a project of the design studio 2050 Lab which is proposed as the future of autonomous technology for efficient logistics. In the minds of its "followers" it is an economic, sustainable and ecological vehicle, made with recyclable materials.
It consists of three possible modules, which correspond to as many applications:
- Driverless multifunctional chassis-module (carries out last mile urban transport activities for passengers and freight);
- Passenger module (it is practically a mobile bus stop);
- Cargo container-postamat / productomat with specialized insulated compartments for the storage of goods or for waste collection.
Spaces that move
This project shows that it has carefully analyzed trends in urban traffic development. I can't imagine it in the cities of today, but in those of tomorrow it seems indispensable to me. If, in fact, autonomous vehicles become a standard, the very concept of "vehicle" will change radically. No longer just a vehicle dedicated exclusively to transport, but an entire space that moves by itself while being lived.
We will be able to see B&B rooms traveling alone between tourist itineraries. People doing gym on the way home. People who take advantage of a "private room" for celebrate with friends and roam around the city too. The applications for urban transport are many.
Imagine, for example, a large container for the separate collection of waste which, when full, leaves and goes by itself into the recycling plant. Or a vehicle that, depending on the situation, transports goods or people without ever being idle or empty. Or a bus stop which, once full, leaves by itself for the required destinations. This is OIII.
How would the spaces change?
Radically. Following a line that today appears confusing to us, but for our posterity it will seem natural and it will make their lives different. Spaces for vehicles will be reduced, in favor of pedestrian or micro-mobility spaces. The total number of vehicles will drop dramatically, and we will have less traffic jammed and cleaner cities. Many parking lots will disappear because they are useless, and their space will be converted.
Stores will also take on more 'hybrid' forms, integrating sales with autonomous deliveries. It will be possible to ask for clothes on trial which will be brought directly from an autonomous vehicle: some will be chosen and paid for, the others will return to the shop by themselves.
These are only a very few examples of practical applications.
Projects like OIII make us understand how a keystone of the future could be to optimize logistic chains. Especially in urban transport. Better transport people and goods by adapting to scenarios in real time and preventing a sea of empty vehicles from circulating on roads (or on the edges of roads).
