Smart Mobility

Emerging Transportation Technology for a Brighter Future

- Chris Mellides

Smart mobility integrates all modes of transportation with wireless communication. Advancements in technology have improved how we transport people and goods throughout the world. And as this technology continues to evolve, automation and machine learning can help make transportation safer, cheaper, quicker and more environmentally friendly. 

Lessons From the Past Inform the Future of Transportation Technology

Sustainable transportation that could fundamentally transform industries and change how we think about travel has reached a precipice. With current innovations continuing to evolve, the desire for a safer, reliable, and more cost-effective means of optimizing transportation is needed.

More than a century ago, steam-powered locomotives were first introduced in England before being adopted en masse stateside. These trains required the burning of combustible materials like coal and oil for fuel, which proved to be very costly. As a consequence of burning fossil fuels, this form of transportation also emitted deadly greenhouse gasses and contributed to noise pollution.

Beginning in the 1920s, trains transitioned from steam to diesel, which was far less expensive and drastically reduced the need for maintenance. By the mid-1930s, diesel trains became very prominent in mainline service throughout the United States.