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home / programmes / research associates / 2001 / urban mobility / real-time travel
Nick Rawcliffe / Industrial Design Engineering
real-time travel:
navigating the intelligent environment
A design study which investigates the use of Japanese remote sensor technologies to enhance the personal mobility of people of all ages and abilities in city centres.
Every journey on public transport is unique. Each individual making the journey has specific needs. Not everyone has the same physical abilities. Yet the journey information currently available on public transport systems in cities is uncustomised, indiscriminate and often unreliable. This project set out to investigate the use of 'intelligent' systems to provide accurate, real-time information tailored to the individual traveller and delivered directly to them in order to improve personal mobility in city centres.
User studies were carried out on transport networks in London and Tokyo to provide insights into journey behaviour. Omron sensor technologies were assessed. As a result, two 'business model' scenarios are proposed for 2005. These describe Omron as running a master system which 'closes the loop' of the journey-making process, integrating transport terminals, networks, users and destinations. Real-Time Travel, a mobility system for London, does this with the use of an ID Peg which fits on your keyring or can be worn as jewellery; a Happy Travel system for Tokyo uses your mobile phone to interact with the intelligent environment.
Research partner: Omron