Transport Innovation Nerds to Gather at U.K., U.S. Conferences

Burney Simpson

Leaders in efforts to transform society with transportation innovation will be meeting at conferences in July in the United Kingdom and Michigan, an indication of the rapid growth in the research of and interest in driverless and automated vehicle technology.

In London, the 1st International Conference on Transport & Health (ICTH) is running July 6-8 at University College London. The conference is intended to bring together experts in the “disciplines involved with transport planning and engineering, public health, urban planning, spatial and architectural design, environmental planning, economics and beyond,” according to organizers.

The big idea is to get these folks thinking about ways to change auto-based transportation systems with their unhealthy emissions, congested roadways, and sedentary lifestyles.

The conference is stressing cross-discipline communication and a grounding in business so innovators can develop real-world solutions to these transport challenges.

Practicing what it preaches, the ICTH offers walks, a rally, a museum tour, and a dance party along with the scintillating sessions and seminars. Get the details here.

MICHIGAN AUTOMATED VEHICLES

A few weeks later at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, the Automated Vehicles Symposium 2015 plans what it calls “a multidisciplinary forum designed to advance the deployment of automated vehicles.”

The AVS runs July 21-23, with ancillary meetings and events on July 20 and July 24.

The AVS seeks to build the business of driverless vehicles. Sponsors include Bosch, Continental, KVH, Realtime Technologies, Velodyne, and other firms busy in autonomous technology.

Plenary sessions feature presentations by leading transport tech names from Google, Ford, Volvo, U.S. Department of Transportation, Nokia’s HERE, and the Michigan Mobility Transformation Center.

Sessions will address such autonomous vehicle topics as cybersecurity, transit, connected systems, liability and insurance, trucks, traffic flow, and human factors in design.

Get the details here.

Photo – Innovation Chalkboard by Missy Schmidt, 2011.