2005-06-24
After the Second Workshop on CyberC3 in Paris, researchers from SJTU and INRIA went to Netherlands to attend the NETMOBIL workshop held in Rotterdam, and visited the pre-launch demonstration of ParkShuttle II at Rivium Business Park, a bus-like transport system with fully automated vehicles. The aim of this study tour was to obtain better understanding in Cybercars, and technical details in both Cybercars and its applications. A Chinese journalist was also invited to join this study tour, in order to enlarge the influence of Cybercars in China.
The NETMOBIL Final Dissemination Workshop and Conference was organized by Transport & Travel Research Ltd, on behalf of the NETMOBIL Project, in collaboration with the European New Towns Platform (ENTP) and the Capelle Economic Network (EKC), hosted by the municipality of Capelle a/d IJssel, Initiated and co-sponsored by the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), and supported by the European Commission.
The objectives of this conference was to present progress in research into future sustainable urban transportation systems, to show the potential for cities, and the path to exploitation and deployment. The conference addressed today's transport needs from a sustainable mobility perspective with presentations on potential solutions drawing on the work of NETMOBIL and its cluster projects. The NETMOBIL Project is an EU, DG Research, sponsored project with the objectives: ‘To explore and promote the potential of developments in automatic vehicle technologies for future sustainable personal urban transportation systems, and provide advice and guidance on the options for decision makers’. In order to achieve these objectives it has supported R&D and demonstration in innovative urban transportation systems, through a cluster activity involving projects: CyberCars and CyberMove on automated road vehicles development and demonstration; EDICT on personal rapid transit; and STARDUST on Advanced Driver Assistance and Automated Guidance systems.
This two-day conference included an opening address by Deputy Mayor of Capelle aan den IJssel -- Jan de Jong, an introduction to NETMOBIL Project by the project coordinator -- Prof Mike McDonald from Transportation Research Group, University of Southampton, presentations on project's results and recommendation by leading experts from project partners, and an introduction on EU strategy on sustainable urban mobility by Dr. Eric Ponthieu from EC DG Research.
A major feature of the event was the pre-launch demonstration of the second generation ParkShuttle at Rivium Business Park, a bus-like transport system with fully automated vehicles. The event was of particular interest to local authorities and other agencies interested in the development and implementation of innovative sustainable transport systems.
