Automated transport systems

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20px-Logo.png Main Page > Advanced automation > Automated infrastructure > Automated transport systems

For fully automated national or global infrastructure automation there obviously needs to be automated transportation. To take material from mines to material processing plants, if not on site, to take processed materials to manufacturing plants and to take goods and products to their destinations as well as components and machinery to other automated facilites.

And we can't forget people. Cars are very inefficient in terms of energy per passenger and extremely dangerous. Due to its everyday nature we sweep under the carpet quite how dangerous it really is. The annual global death toll in road accidents is an amazing 1.2 million per year and 15 million serious injuries (source: [1] & [2]). This is the equivalent of Auckland, the most populous city in New Zealand, being nuked each year in terms of death and every man woman and child in New York and Hong Kong being severely injured every year. Severely injured means such things as amputations, paralysis and brain damage. Bad news. (Amazingly and almost to illustrate the point, the day after I wrote this someone I knew died on the road).

Trains are the most efficient in terms of energy per unit weight moved, at least over land. They are also the easiest to automate.

  • Trains
    • Light rail
    • Personal rapid transit
    • Maglev
  • Cars
  • Electric vehicles
  • Aeroplanes
    • Personal aircraft
  • Airships
  • Ships