Transit Experts Present a Prototype for Driverless Vehicles at Move: The Transportation Expo in Toronto

From its <a href="http://inhabitat.com/old-brick-factory-transformed-into-the-sustainable-evergreen-headquarters-in-toronto/">adaptive-reuse buildings</a> to its <a href="http://inhabitat.com/ferruccio-sardellas-flourishing-green-watershed-wall-is-a-living-map-of-torontos-waterways/">living map of Toronto's waterways</a>, we've been admiring <a href="http://ebw.evergreen.ca/">Evergreen Brick Works recently</a>. So we were excited to attend a sneak peek of <a href="http://ebw.evergreen.ca/move/">Move: The Transportation Expo</a> in one of the industrial-chic event spaces at the former brick factory as part of Cisco's <a href="http://www.smartconnectedcommunities.org/index.jspa">Smart+Connected Communities</a> showcase in Toronto this week. One of the more intriguing designs on display at the expo is the aptly named "P.A.T. (People and Things) Prototype" from the Beyond the Car Team, a driverless vehicle proposed to replace the automobile by 2040.

The P.A.T. is an adaptable cube-shaped pod that would hold up to two people.

Under the proposal, a network of driverless vehicles would communicate with each other and a smart grid, eliminating congestion, providing swift transport of both people and packages. Because the autonomous vehicles will be able to communicate with one another, they'll be able to avoid collisions, making bulky safety features like crumple zones and airbags, and leaving more space for people and cargo.

isitors to the Move: Transportation Expo can sit in a prototype while watching the Toronto streets whiz by them.

The system wouldn't necessarily require people to own a vehicle; instead they could be called upon when needed.

The seats can be modified in either upright or reclined positions, or they can be lifted to make easier for elderly or disabled people to enter.

The seats can also be completely removed to make space for cargo.