Urban cable cars are a type of transport that has recently raised controversy (for example, when they were proposed in Rome, or before their construction started in Paris). It's actually a great option for crowded cities, or cities with limited space, and the latest technological developments could revive it in a big way.
Martin Angelov e Mikhail Klenov are the two founding designers of Half Company, a startup born with an exploit: the design of half bike, a Segway-like vehicle that raised over a million euros in funding on Kickstarter 7 years ago. Today they propose Halfgrid, a totally autonomous system of single-seater cable cars driven by artificial intelligence.
A solitary and comfortable journey
The designers based in Sofia, Bulgaria had never worked on an infrastructure project of this magnitude before, even though they have already created their own previous concept (a system of elevated cycle paths supported by steel cables) as a tourist attraction in Bulgaria and the Philippines.
The duo believe Halfgrid could be a game changer for cities suffering from road congestion.
Unlike traditional cable cars, the system uses static cables. It is the cabs that move, which means that each unit can travel freely even on different routes, controlled by a centralized system of artificial intelligence.
Cable cars 2.0? Imagine them as a sort of "tram" suspended in the air.
Angelov is certain that the system should be introduced gradually, but it is absolutely doable. “Developing even just a few main lines in a city would be enough to demonstrate its effectiveness,” he said.
But how exactly do the cable cars of the future work? To start a route, passengers select a pickup point and destination in the Halfgrid app, then simply wait for their cabin to arrive. Convenient, effective and also silent (with a nice advantage also for noise pollution).
And the goods?
Cargo deliveries would work similarly. Couriers would be able to take deliveries directly from a depot to the delivery destination, eliminating last-mile hassles.
Halfgrid would eliminate the need for much of the truck transport in city centers
Martin Angelov
Half Company aims to create a first prototype of its cable cars, and is looking for a partner to develop the project. The second phase would be the test in a larger municipality and… what can I say: if they are cabins, they will fly.
