Self-driving boats: The future for Amsterdam’s canals
Amsterdam is coming up with a new way to manage water-traffic within the city. And what a better place to do it, than in a city which is made up of canals.
This initiative is by the Roboat project, which aims to launch these self-driving boats into the city. The possibilities can be endless. These boats could deliver goods and services, take you to other parts of the city, use traffic prevention strategies, collect waste dumped in or near the canals, monitor pollution levels and more. They aim for it to ‘reduce the stresses of city life.’
So far researchers from Amsterdam’s AMS Institute and Massachusetts Institute of Technology say they are still in the testing stage and have tested it on miniature boats, however, the next stage of testing is for much bigger prototypes. As we all know, the race is on to get self-driving boats and cars into our society and these are just one of the ways that Amsterdam is planning on doing just that. Similar concepts are currently in use in places like Norway. And as we all know, other inventions such as self-driving cars are already slowly becoming a big part of our future.
What’s the catch?
Technology definitely isn’t perfect and there are a few concerns about these new technologies. One of these is that these automated vessels may be prone to hacking. Another concern is that they can be hijacked. There’s a lot to discuss too. Environmental issues, safety issues, law. So it’s all in its first stages, but this is the future guys! And it’s all rather exciting.
What do you think of these new boats on Amsterdam’s canals? Let us know in the comments! While you’re here, don’t forget to join our DR Facebook group.
