(Self) driving into the future....



The US-based National League of Cities (NLC) has teamed up with the Bloomberg Aspen Initiative on Autonomous Vehicles to release a series of future scenarios for autonomous vehicles.

In a statement issued on Thursday (31 May), the NLC said: "Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are already on our streets, with pilots taking place in cities nationwide. More than 36% of large cities are planning for AVs in their long-range transportation plans, and pilots are expanding throughout the globe. The full story, however has not yet been written.

"This new technology will have practical applications in transportation, housing, land use, parcel delivery, freight and more. While AVs have the potential to help cities address challenges that range from citizen isolation to closing transit gaps, the technology also presents risks. Effective government will play critical a role in pushing innovation forward. That future is already starting to unfold, and cities can prepare themselves to play a more informed, active role in shaping it."

The scenarios - which are available in full at http://avfutures.nlc.org/ - include reports on "A Human Touch on Robot Delivery" and "Reprogramming Buses, Bikes and Barriers".

As you would expect, the Robot Delivery report includes a run-down on manufacturers like Starship Technologies and Marble, as well as the logistics companies that have been running pilot programmes with drones and droids.

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