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![]() by Staff Writers Stuttgart, Germany (SPX) Sep 18, 2020
The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft und Raumfahrt; DLR) is breathing new life into future urban mobility and logistics with its futuristic U-shift vehicle concept. The vehicle has a wide range of applications as an on-demand shuttle, a high-tech on-call bus, a versatile distribution centre for goods and parcels, or as a mobile sales vehicle A research consortium led by DLR presented the first operable prototype at the Interim Conference of the Strategic Dialogue for the Automotive Sector in Baden-Wurttemberg on 17 September 2020 in Stuttgart. The project has received around 12 million euro in funding from the Baden-Wurttemberg Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labour and Housing.
Modular design: combined driveboard and capsule "We want to make tomorrow's mobility more sustainable, effective and convenient," explains Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Baden-Wurttemberg Minister for Economic Affairs. "Entirely new products and business models can emerge from futuristic innovations such as the U-Shift vehicle concept. It is essential that we support our small and medium-sized enterprises in Baden-Wurttemberg during the automotive industry's transformation process and help them find a new role in the field of future vehicle concepts and mobility solutions. The modular approach opens up a lot of opportunities in this area." "With the modular U-Shift concept, we are taking significant steps towards the mobility transformation," says Karsten Lemmer, DLR Executive Board Member for Energy and Transport. "Prototypes are extremely important, especially for the adoption of innovative concepts by the automotive industry, or logistics and mobility service providers. They allow researchers and future users to truly experience and help to improve the mobile world of tomorrow."
Testing, discussing, optimising: prototype ushers in the next developmental phases With the help of the prototype, researchers are hoping to acquire initial experience in using the system that picks up and sets down the capsules and are in close talks with potential manufacturers and operators. At the same time, they are conducting intensive discussions with citizens to determine their needs and wishes for scenarios in which U-Shift might be used, and about the future jobs that might be associated with such use. With their input, the researchers are continuing to develop the vehicle concept. For instance, it is important to test the interfaces between people and the vehicle, including the door-opening mechanism, the flow of information, as well as any access restrictions. The next big step is to increase the performance of the drivetrain, install hardware and sensors for automated and networked driving, test a new battery system, and further develop the chassis and lifting device. A second, fully automated prototype capable of reaching speeds up to approximately 60 kilometres per hour is planned for 2024. In the process, the U-Shift team is looking to examine innovative business areas relating to new mobility services and reshape existing business sectors, for instance by conducting pilot tests with logistics companies.
DLR's U-Shift project partners
![]() ![]() Uber safety driver in autonomous car charged in 2018 fatality Washington (AFP) Sept 16, 2020 An Uber safety driver at the wheel of an autonomous car during a 2018 accident in Arizona that killed a pedestrian has been charged with negligent homicide, prosecutors said. The Maricopa County prosecutor's office said in a statement Tuesday that 46-year-old Rafaela Vasquez had been indicted in the death of Elaine Herzberg on March 18, 2018. Vasquez was behind the wheel of the Uber self-driving car operating in autonomous mode when it struck and killed Herzberg, who was pushing a bicycle across ... read more
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