Full of revolutionary technology, this i-Unit concept car, designed in Japan, uses plant-based materials instead of oil-based plastics and metals. Tough kenaf plant fibres are held together by lignin, a natural polymer found in wood. - Science Museum notice.

The i-unit is an ultra-compact single-seater four-wheeled Toyota concept car. It debuted at the World Expo 2005, held in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The vehicle is a cross between a microcar, a motorcycle, and a vehicular exoskeleton. The goal of Toyota is to provide a personal mobility, which can be used on roads but also does not hinder interaction with pedestrians. For this the i-unit has two possible set-ups. First, there is an upright low-speed set-up, where the rider has a higher position and can have conversations face-to-face with pedestrians and can move among people. This upright position can be transformed while driving to a low position, where the rider sits much lower and more reclined. This high speed set-up has a much lower centre of gravity and is for driving at higher speeds.

The i-unit weighs 180 kg. It contains a lithium-ion battery and features Intelligent Transport System technology. The rear wheels are powered by electric motors, and the device is steered with the front wheels. In the upright position it has a turning radius of 0.9m, which means it can turn on the spot. The vehicle is controlled by two joystick-like devices at the front of the armrests, and uses a Drive-by-wire technology. An Intelligent Transport System (ITS) technology aims to reduce the likelihood of accidents.

The colour of the lights can change according to the preferences or emotions of the operator. The shape was designed to symbolise a leaf, and the design incorporates environmentally-friendly materials such as kenaf.

This concept vehicle is of course used by Toyota for public relations, and they state that The "i-unit" is a form of "personal mobility" that seeks to attain a greater balance of meeting individuals' wishes to enjoy freedom of movement, harmony with society, and harmony with the Earth's natural environment. They also refer to these vehicles as wearable personal mobility vehicles. A representative at the IAA 2005 in Frankfurt stated that Toyota may plan to offer these type of vehicles for sale, but did not provide a date when the vehicle will be available. Currently the vehicle lacks features such as a storage compartment (i.e. boot or glove compartment), and the protection against bad weather is inadequate.

Twelve i-units together with two Toyota i-foots (two-legged walking seats for one passenger, maximum capacity 60 kg) performed at the Toyota Pavilion at the 2005 World Expo in Aichi. - Wikipedia

Seen in what I think is a higher, more upright position, in the Science Museum, South Kensington, London.

The Overview:

The rapid urbanization and shifts in population density coupled with limited road system capabilities have resulted in constantly increasing commute times, fuel consumption and air pollution, thereby reducing the efficiency of the transportation infrastructure. Building new roads to meet the transportation demand can be prohibitively expensive, and adding new lanes in highly congested urban areas is often impossible. In order to keep the traffic moving, a tried and tested solution is an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), consisting of advanced traffic signal control, speed meters and many other components ranging from weather sensors, to dynamic messaging signs, to video surveillance cameras.

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Addressing the ITS deployment concerns:

Current traffic surveillance systems rely on wireline networks to transmit the video. But as networks expand, more cameras mean more trenching and cabling, resulting in a cost-prohibitive and often impossible proposition.

Proxim wirelessly binds all the different components of a transportation system over hundreds of square miles with an end-to-end wireless network. This wireless technology also enables a wide variety of high-uptime and bandwidth-intensive applications ranging from real-time traffic updates to warning drivers of road conditions, and detours via dynamic messaging signs boards, facilitating a scalable, reliable, and cost-effective transportation system.

The Proxim Difference:

Proxim’s Point-to-Multipoint (PtMP) solutions utilize base-station units (BSUs) connecting to multiple lower-cost subscriber units (SUs) adjacent to each major ITS component in the network. This enables SUs to deliver the video traffic directly from the camera back to the BSU. The Proxim advantage is in its deployment. Unlike wireless mesh deployments that introduce detrimental latency based on the non-direct multi-hop nature of the technology, PtMP networks provide a series of direct connections from the many SUs back to the BSU. This provides dedicated connectivity to ensure the quality and performance needed for mission-critical ITS networks and the cost-effectiveness of a distributed network (as opposed to many dedicated links).

Proxim’s PtMP networks for ITS utilize a reliable polling algorithm to provide an efficient and effective means of distributing bandwidth among the end points/SUs fairly and in a controlled manner. This helps to provide quality of service (QoS) in the wireless ITS network, and to ensure that each component receives the necessary bandwidth to deliver a constant, reliable stream of information. Although wireless technology traditionally required line-of-sight connectivity between SUs and the BSU, recent advances have enabled nLoS functionality in some PtMP systems, which provides even greater ease of use and configuration. However, for the best performance, line-of-sight operation among PtMP links still yields the greatest return.

Benefits:

Quick and Easy Installation:

Installation is relatively easy and can be set up within hours

Carrier-class uptimes:

Ensures non-stop, real-time transmission from surveillance cameras and other ITS components Cost-effective:

Does not require any cabling/ trenching, thus avoiding huge expenditures

Scalable:

Deploys virtually anywhere - across rugged terrain, bodies of water and remote areas and within no time

The Introduction:

The role of Highways in a country’s economy or even the progress is nothing less than pivotal .Highways help transport all sought of materials from food to natural raw materials to more crucial ones such as oil ,metals etc - the entire wherewithal to run and building a country. Due to the criticality, it is imperative to ensure that the highways are free from any sought of impediments such as traffic congestion, safety threats to passengers etc.

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The Challenge:

In order to keep the highways of a country secure and congestion free usually an Intelligent Transportation system is implemented, that constitutes of advanced traffic signal control, and speed meters including many different components – from weather sensors, to dynamic messaging signs, to video surveillance cameras. Current highway based surveillance and transportation systems rely on wire line networks to transport the video. But as networks expand more cameras means more trenching and cabling of fibers and wires resulting in a cost prohibitive and often impossible proposition.

The Solution:

Proxim Wireless effectively binds all the different components of a transportation system over hundreds of square miles, with an end-to-end wireless network thereby enabling a wide variety of high uptime and bandwidth intensive applications ranging from real-time traffic updates to traffic officials and residents of the city over websites to warning drivers of road condition, accidents and detours via dynamic messaging signs boards, hence facilitating a scalable, reliable and a costeffective Transportation system.

The Introduction:

Despite the overwhelming existence of the airways and ships as modes of transport and carriage services, the railways had, have and always will be an important transportation infrastructure. The railways virtually form the backbone of any country’s economy by transporting millions of passengers and tons of material through tens of thousands of miles round the clock, throughout the year.

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The Challenge:

Taking into account the number of trains running at high speeds separated by a few minutes on a common set of tracks, the railways as a system is a very intricate and a perilous enterprise. To control and coordinate the innards of this system, teams of experts need to watch the movements of the trains and in order to facilitate this, what better way than a video surveillance solution. However installing and linking cameras throughout the track is not only cost prohibitive but also at times cumbersome to implement in inaccessible geographies.

The Solution:

By leveraging Proxim’s wireless solutions railway organizations can cost effectively and effortlessly install various ITS components even in challenging spots such as underground tunnels etc. Additionally Proxim’s .11 series with its roaming capability allows passengers accessing the internet via Wi-Fi hotspots and control stations to seamlessly receive and transmit data from fast moving mobile trains.

VP Bambang Susantono on 22 October 2019 led a panel discussion at the Asia Pacific High Level Forum on New Transportation Infrastructure during the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) World Congress, 2019 in Singapore. He spoke on the relevancy of intelligent transport systems to developing member countries (DMCs) and ADB's support for high tech transport solutions to DMCs.