High speed / long haul APM network opportunities

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High speed / long haul APM network opportunities

Oster, Daryl

There are several trends driving the transportation market toward automation. Security, energy efficiency, ecology, cost, and time savings are the main elements of these trends. The present APM focus is on speeds less than 60mph, and distance of less than 20 miles; this range is naturally expanding upwards. Existing APMs are capturing limited pedestrian, bicycle, and automobile travel niches; there is potentially a much bigger mass market. This market can be opened quickly at low cost using an approach similar to the collaboration in the electronics industry that made DVDs possible. A proven collaborative market approach is being implemented to accelerate transportation automation. This paper outlines the creation of a new "opposite end" (high-speed / long haul) market of automated people and cargo movers. The creation of this new market (High speed APMs competing directly with aircraft, and HSR) will increase demand for present APMs including but not limited to: moving walkways, escalators, elevators, tramways, and CRT / PRT. This new market will rely on new technology using proven principals like ETT (Evacuated Tube Transport), advanced materials, automated production, and maglev; it will also rely on support from those who possess key elements of: technology, production assets, and related components.