Instead, Roboats stationed at the waterside will act as floating trash containers, scooting back to base when they're full. The job is normally done by trucks, but they are a safety hazard on the city's narrow streets and cause traffic jams.
One of the first test applications of the craft will be for an unglamorous but important task: trash collection. So we developed a self-driving, autonomous ship to help with logistics in the city and also bringing people around."Īfter four years of trials with smaller versions and refinements of the concept, the makers showed off the first two full-size, functional Roboats on Wednesday "At the same time we have a lot of open water available in the canals. "We have a lot of road traffic and congestion, e-commerce, logistics cluttering the small streets in the city," said Stephan van Dijk, Innovation Director at Amsterdam's Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions, which is designing and engineering Roboat with The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It will be the electric-powered "Roboat", a catchier name than "autonomous floating vehicle" for a project shortly due to start test journeys aimed at improving the crowded city's transport options. Visitors to Amsterdam may soon spot a self-driving watercraft the size of a small car cruising silently through its ancient canals, ferrying passengers or transporting goods or trash.