Infrastructural Requirements and Regulatory Challenges of a Sustainable Urban Air Mobility Ecosystem

The United Nations has long put on the discussion agenda the sustainability challenges of ur- banization, which have both direct and indirect effects on future regulation strategies. Undoubtedly, most initiatives target better quality of life, improved access to services & goods and environment pro- tection. As commercial aerial urban transportation may become a feasible research goal in the near future, the connection possibilities between cities and regions scale up. It is expected that the growing number of vertical takeoff & landing vehicles used for passenger and goods transportation will change the infrastructure of the cities, and will have a significant effect on the cityscapes as well. In addition to the widely discussed regulatory and safety issues, the introduction of elevated traffic also raises environmental concerns, which influences the existing and required service and control infrastructure, and thus significantly affects sustainability. This paper provides narrated overview of the most common aspects of safety, licensing and regulations for passenger vertical takeoff & landing vehicles, and highlights the most important aspects of infrastructure planning, design and operation, which should be taken into account to maintain and efficiently operate this new way of transportation, leading to a sustainable urban air mobility ecosystem

Intelligent Mobility in Smart Cities

Smart Cities seek to optimize their systems by increasing integration through approaches such as increased interoperability, seamless system integration, and automation. Thus, they have the potential to deliver substantial efficiency gains and eliminate redundancy. To add to the complexity of the problem, the integration of systems for efficiency gains may compromise the resilience of an urban system. This all needs to be taken into consideration when thinking about Smart Cities. The transportation field must also apply the principles and concepts mentioned above. This cannot be understood without considering its links and effects on the other components of an urban system. New technologies allow for new means of travel to be built, and new business models allow for existing ones to be utilized. This Special Issue puts together papers with different focuses, but all of them tackle the topic of smart mobility

Diseño y desarrollo de una instalación experimental para estudiar el efecto de la degradación de los componentes a nivel de sistema

El presente proyecto constituye el Trabajo Fin de Grado de la Universidad de Valladolid en el Grado de Ingeniería Mecánica. El objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar el efecto de la degradación de los componentes del sistema de alimentación de un UAV (Vehículo Aéreo No Tripulado). Con este fin, construimos un banco de ensayos para estudiar su capacidad para detectar y aislar diferentes modos de fallo en un sistema representativo. El ámbito del proyecto está incluido en el marco de las tecnologías IVHM (Gestión Integrada del Estado del Vehículo), una combinación de técnicas de diferentes campos usada para evaluar el estado presente y futuro de un sistema. Este trabajo incluye un repaso de la literatura disponible en el campo de IVHM, una descripción básica del software utilizado y una explicación detallada del proceso de instalación de los componentes y del código de programación creado para controlarlos y obtener datos de ellos.Departamento de Química AnalíticaGrado en Ingeniería Mecánic

Future Transportation

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with transportation activities account for approximately 20 percent of all carbon dioxide (co2) emissions globally, making the transportation sector a major contributor to the current global warming. This book focuses on the latest advances in technologies aiming at the sustainable future transportation of people and goods. A reduction in burning fossil fuel and technological transitions are the main approaches toward sustainable future transportation. Particular attention is given to automobile technological transitions, bike sharing systems, supply chain digitalization, and transport performance monitoring and optimization, among others

Remote driving as the Failsafe: Qualitative investigation of Users’ perceptions and requirements towards the 5G-enabled Level 4 automated vehicles

AbstractThe Level 4 Automated Vehicles (L4 AV) potentially deliver social, economic, safety and environmental benefits. A key feature for the L4 AV is the failsafe mechanism which ensures the safety of the vehicle without human driver input when reaching system limitations. An important solution for the failsafe is the 5G-enabled teleoperation system controlled by a remote driver. However, understanding end-users’ perception, needs and requirements towards the L4 AV is a significant under-researched area. To fill the research gap, this study conducted semi-structured interviews with 29 potential end-users to qualitatively explore the new driver-automation-remote driver interaction in the L4 AV. Results showed that end-users would like to understand how the remote driver operates the vehicle remotely and would not expect them to be multitasking or distracted. They also show that remote drivers’ sensing and information about the driving environment are important. Remote drivers should also be qualified and experienced drivers and must have undergone background security checks before teleoperating the L4 AV. They require remote drivers based in the same country as the L4 AV to prevent issues such as unfamiliar road layouts, different traffic rules, cultural driving style variations, liability concerns, and time differences from affecting performance. They require the remote drivers to clarify what had happened and explain how they will deal with the situation and operate the vehicle in the situation of failsafe in the L4 AV. Dedicated remote drivers are preferred over random ones. A review and feedback system is important for the end-users to evaluate the services and choose preferred remote drivers. Finally, end-users are concerned about the liability and legal implications of utilising a L4 AV, especially during the period that the L4 AV is being operated by the remote drivers

Current Safety Nets Within the U.S. National Airspace System

There are over 70,000 flights managed per day in the National Airspace System, with approximately 7,000 aircraft in the air over the United States at any given time. Operators of each of these flights would prefer to fly a user-defined 4D trajectory (4DT), which includes arrival and departure times; preferred gates and runways at the airport; efficient, wind-optimal routes for departure, cruise and arrival phase of flight; and fuel efficient altitude profiles. To demonstrate the magnitude of this achievement a single flight from Los Angeles to Baltimore, accesses over 35 shared or constrained resources that are managed by roughly 30 air traffic controllers (at towers, approach control and en route sectors); along with traffic managers at 12 facilities, using over 22 different, independent automation system (including TBFM, ERAM, STARS, ASDE-X, FSM, TSD, GPWS, TCAS, etc.). In addition, dispatchers, ramp controllers and others utilize even more systems to manage each flights access to operator-managed resources. Flying an ideal 4DT requires successful coordination of all flight constraints among all flights, facilities, operators, pilots and controllers. Additionally, when conditions in the NAS change, the trajectories of one or more aircraft may need to be revised to avoid loss of flight efficiency, predictability, separation or system throughput. The Aviation Safety Network has released the 2016 airliner accident statistics showing a very low total of 19 fatal airliner accidents, resulting in 325 fatalities1. Despite several high profile accidents, the year 2016 turned out to be a very safe year for commercial aviation, Aviation Safety Network data show. Over the year 2016 the Aviation Safety Network recorded a total of 19 fatal airliner accidents [1], resulting in 325 fatalities. This makes 2016 the second safest year ever, both by number of fatal accidents as well as in terms of fatalities. In 2015 ASN recorded 16 accidents while in 2013 a total of 265 lives were lost. How can we keep it that way and not upset the apple cart by premature insertion of innovative technologies, functions, and procedures? In aviation, safety nets function as the last system defense against incidents and accidents. Current ground-based and airborne safety nets are well established and development to make them more efficient and reliable continues. Additionally, future air traffic control safety nets may emerge from new operational concepts

Smartphone-based vehicle telematics: a ten-year anniversary

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this recordJust as it has irrevocably reshaped social life, the fast growth of smartphone ownership is now beginning to revolutionize the driving experience and change how we think about automotive insurance, vehicle safety systems, and traffic research. This paper summarizes the first ten years of research in smartphone-based vehicle telematics, with a focus on user-friendly implementations and the challenges that arise due to the mobility of the smartphone. Notable academic and industrial projects are reviewed, and system aspects related to sensors, energy consumption, and human-machine interfaces are examined. Moreover, we highlight the differences between traditional and smartphone-based automotive navigation, and survey the state of the art in smartphone-based transportation mode classification, vehicular ad hoc networks, cloud computing, driver classification, and road condition monitoring. Future advances are expected to be driven by improvements in sensor technology, evidence of the societal benefits of current implementations, and the establishment of industry standards for sensor fusion and driver assessment

Small is smart: making micromobility work for citizens, cities and service providers

Màster universitari en Disseny -- Contemporary DesignGaur egun higikortasuna bira erradikala ematen ari da. Mugitzen garen modua ez da ere duela 20 urte, gizartea aldatzen ari den eta harekin bera bere balioak. Ikerketa hau, Master-Amaiera Laneko Diseinuko Ikasketa Aurreratuetan – Bartzelona (MBDesign), bereziki Diseinu Garaikideko lerroan parte hartzailea, gaur egunko erabiltzailearen beharretara, diseinuko erremintaren bitartez, molda daitezkeen hiri-higikortasun kontzeptu berriko bilaketan oinarritzen da. Gaur egun hiri zentruak autoz beteta daude, trafiko ikaragarria sortuz, eta hiriaren zona jendetsuenak ostopatzen. Honek hiritarrei iraganean eragingo dieten hainbat arasoproblema desberdin ekarriko dizkigute; hiriguna masifikatu bat bezala, kutsatutako giroa, ibilde bakotzean denbora galdua… Ikerketa honekin, kasu ideal hipotetiko batean, hiriaren, higikortasunaren eta erabiltzailearen harteko konponbidea proposatu nahi dut. Diseinuko erremintaren, hipotesiaren eta aurkezpen honetarako konponbidea emateko ikerketa jarraituaren bitartez, Bartzelonako ingurunea analizatzea lortu dut, nola eboluzionatzen duen Smart City honek eta nola hiri-higikortasuna ahalegin handiak egiten ditu harengana moldatzen saiatzean. Ikerketaren kasu desberdinen bidez ezinbesteko ezaugarri batzuk ezarri ditut produktuaren garapenerako. Teknologia berriek pauso handietara eboluzionatzen hari dira eta ibilgailuetako aplikazioa jada ikusten hari dira Auto Aretoetan. Garapen hau diseinua, gizartea, teknologia eta ingurunea bat egiten dutenean, etorkizuneko ikerketako hasiera gisa balio lezakeen oinarria izan litzateke.Mobility today is taking a radical turn. The way we move is not the same as 20 years ago, society is changing and with it also its values. This research that belongs to the Master’s Thesis in the Interuniversity Master in Advanced Design Studies - Barcelona (MBDesign), especially in the Contemporary Design line, is based on the search for new concepts of urban mobility that can be adapted to the needs of the user of today, through the design tool. Today, urban centers are crowded with vehicles, creating immense traffic and hampering the busiest areas of the city. This brings us different problems that throughout the years will affect considerably all the resident citizens; as a crowded city, a polluted environment, waste of time in each journey ... With this research I intend to propose a possible solution in a hypothetical ideal case of city, mobility and user. Through the design tool, a hypothesis and continuous research to solve this approach, I have been able to analyze the Barcelona environment, how Smart City evolves and how urban mobility makes great efforts to try to adapt to it. Through different cases of study I have established essential characteristics for the development of the product. The new technologies are evolving at great strides and the application of them in vehicles can already be seen in the Auto Showrooms. This development in which one design, society, technology and environment is the basis that could serve as the beginning of a future research for its real approach

Advances on Smart Cities and Smart Buildings

Modern cities are facing the challenge of combining competitiveness at the global city scale and sustainable urban development to become smart cities. A smart city is a high-tech, intensive and advanced city that connects people, information, and city elements using new technologies in order to create a sustainable, greener city; competitive and innovative commerce; and an increased quality of life. This Special Issue collects the recent advancements in smart cities and covers different topics and aspects