innovating automated transit technology with students

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ATRAPulseArticleforJanuary2016

InnovatingAutomatedTransitTechnologyWithStudents

BurfordFurman

Professor,MechanicalEngineering

SanJoséStateUniversity

December,2015

SummaryStudentshaveplayedavitalroleinthedevelopmentofautomatedtransitsincetheearly1950sandcontinuetodoso.AtSanJoséStateUniversity,wehavebeendrivinginnovationinsolar-poweredautomatedtransitnetwork(ATN)developmentwithstudentssince2012andcontinuetothepresentdaythroughtheSpartanSuperwayProject.

Introduction

Since2012,wehavebeenworkingwithstudents,primarilyatSanJoséStateUniversity,butincreasinglyfromcountriesaroundtheworld,todevelopsolarpoweredATN.Whilemostvisitorstoouroperationareimpressedwithwhatwehaveaccomplishedoverthelastfouryears,wesometimesrunintoasubtle(ornotsosubtle)‘attitude’ofdismissalofthevalueofwhatstudentscanactuallyaccomplishwhenitcomestogettingATNintomorewidespreaduse1.Quitetothecontrary,wethinkthatstudentshaveavitalanduniqueroletoplayinrealizingthepromiseofsolarpoweredATN.Intheremainderofthisarticle,wewilldescribeourprogressanddiscusssomeofthepeculiaritiesofworkingwithstudents.

2012-2013-TheBeginning:SolarSkyways

Ourworkonsolar-poweredATNcameassomethingofanepiphanywhenIwasjugglingtwoefforts,oneofwhichwastodevelopanewcurriculumsteminsustainablemobilitywithinmydepartment,andtheothertodrumupindustryprojectsforanewlyconceivedinterdisciplinaryseniorprojectprogramintheCollegeofEngineering.RonSwensonfiguresprominentlyinthebeginningof(andthroughout)theSuperwayprojectinthatIhadinvitedhimtobeamemberofthesteeringcommitteeofthesustainablemobilityeffort,whichatthetimehadbeenfocusedonconventionalelectricandhybridvehicles.Apartfromthesteeringcommitteework,Ronwasratherpersistentinseekingmyhelptofindmechanical

1SignificantcontributionstothedevelopmentofATNtechnologybystudentshashistoricalprecedence.DonnFichterwasatransportationgraduatestudentin1953whenhemadehisfirstsketchesoftheVeyarsystem,anearlyconceptualizationofATN.(DonnFichter,1974."Veyar:SmallCarsastheKeytoUrbanPRT,"InProgress,Problems,andPotentialofaPromisingNewFormofPublicTransportation.1973InternationalConferenceonPersonalRapidTransit,Denver,Colorado,May2-4,1973.pp.527-534.)J.EdwardAndersongothisstartwithATNthroughadevelopmentprogramattheUniversityofMinnesotain1981withseniormechanicalengineeringstudents.(Anderson,JamesEdward.2009.“EvolutionofPRT.”October21.http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/Evolution%20of%20PRT1.pdf)

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engineeringstudentswhocouldhelphimwithpodcardesignandhelphimputtogetheraninternationalstudentcompetitionrelatingtodevelopsolar-poweredATN.Towardthemiddleofthesummerof2012,forvariousreasons,theplansforthecurriculumsteminsustainablemobilitywerenotgelling,andIwasnotfindinganyindustry-sponsoredinterdisciplinaryprojectsforthenewseniorprojectprogram.Itfinallydawnedonmethataseniorprojecttodevelopasolar-poweredATNmightbethewayforwardtodeliveronbothaccounts,sinceasolar-poweredATNsystemwouldbetheepitomeofsustainablemobility,andwouldinvolvemanydisciplines.So,startingattheendofAugust,2012,RonandIlaunchedourfirstinterdisciplinaryteamofstudentstodevelopsolar-poweredATNtechnology.Theteamconsistedof11mechanicalengineers,fourcomputerengineers,threebusinessstudents,onemasterinUrbanPlanningstudent.TheprojectbeganastheSustainableMobilitySystemforSiliconValley(SMSSV),butsoonthestudentscameupwiththecatchier,‘SpartanSuperway’monikerwhichacknowledgedthemascotofSanJoséStateUniversity,the‘Spartans,’andthesuperior,elevatednatureoftheATNsystem.

ItwasgratifyingtoseehowmuchtheteamaccomplishedbytheendofMay,2013consideringthatthestudentsstartedfromscratchandhadzeroknowledgeofATNattheoutsetoftheproject.Ofparticularnotewasafunctioning1/12thscalemodelofasuspendedATNsystemwiththreeoffline‘stations’,arudimentarycontrolsystem,anddesignsforthekeyelementsofthesystem.Thereportdocumentingtheseaccomplishmentsisavailableat:http://tinyurl.com/pvx9pnk.Avideoofthescalemodelisavailableat:https://youtu.be/4UeYCyxl5yc.Atthesametimethatourprojectstarted,agroupofstudentsatUppsalaUniversityinSwedenconductedananalysisofthefeasibilityofpoweringanATNsysteminUppsalausingsolarenergy.Theirworkwasdocumentedinareport,whichisavailableat:http://tinyurl.com/zlkfsbk.BoththeSJSUandUppsalateamsweremotivatedbytheSolarSkywaysChallenge,acompetitionsponsoredbytheInternationalInstituteofSustainableTransportation(INIST,https://www.inist.org/andhttp://www.inist.org/Projects/SolarSkywaysChallenge)todesignandbuildasolarpoweredATN.

Figure1.Accomplishmentsfromyear1(2012-2013)oftheSpartanSuperwayProject.Attheleft,arenderingoftheguidewaywithsolarpanelsandsuspendedvehicle.Atcenter,a1/12thscalebogieandvehicletraversingaguidewaynetwork,theplanviewofwhichisshowntotheright.

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2013-2014-MakerFaireandModels

Thefollowingacademicyear,theprojectcontinuedwithanewcropofseniorstudents,15mechanicalengineers,threeelectricalengineers,twocivilengineers,twomasterofUrbanPlanningstudents,andsome25+IndustrialDesign(InD)studentsthroughclassprojectsintwoIndustrialDesignclasses,DSID125andDSID131.TheInDstudentsinDSID125envisionedwhatanATNvehiclemightbeandproducedfull-scalemockupsinfoamcoreoftheirconcepts.ThestudentsinDSID131investigatedhowpotentialusersmightinteractwithanATNsystem,andtheyproducedgraphicuserinterfacemodelsfordevicessuchassmartphones.

ThemotivatinggoalfortheteamsthatyearwastodisplaytheirworkatMakerFaire2014,apopularvenuethatcelebratestheMakermovement(http://makerfaire.com/makerfairehistory/).Inadditiontoimprovingtheoperationofthescalemodel,themajoraccomplishmentbytheengineerswasafull-scalestraightsectionofguidewaywithmovablebogie.Inadditiontotheundergraduatestudents,MSMEstudentAdamKruegerdevelopedasimplifiedtesttrackforATNdevelopment,whichisdescribedinhisthesis,availableat:http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses/4426/.PicturesandvideosfromMakerFaire2014canbeaccessedfrom:http://www.inist.org/Projects/SpartanSuperway.Thereportbytheundergraduatesisavailableat:http://tinyurl.com/hcvl893.

Figure2.Accomplishmentsfromyear2(2013-2014)oftheSpartanSuperwayProject.Attheleft,afull-scalesectionofguidewaywithmovablebogieandmock-upvehiclecabin.Atcenter,studentManHoworksonthevehicleforanimproved1/12thscalemodel.Attheright,graduatestudentAdamKruegerdemonstrateshissimplifiedATNdevelopmentplatformtoyoungstersatMakerFaireBayArea2014.

July,2014-SuperwayatIntersolar2014

SuperwaymadeitsinternationaldebutattheIntersolar2014conferenceinSanFrancisco(http://www.intersolar.us/en/home.html).Thesectionoffull-scaleguidewaywithsolarpanels,thescalemodels,andamockupofafullscalevehiclecabinwerefeaturedinalargespaceattheMosconeCenter.

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Figure3.SpartanSuperwayProjectatIntersolar2014.Attheleft,thefull-scaleguideway(partiallyenclosed)withsolarpanelsattached.Totheright,theexhibitionspaceinMosconecenter.Thelowerleftcornerofthephotographshowsamock-upofafull-scalevehiclecabin.

2014-2015-MakerFaireRepriseandImprovedModels

Theresultsfromthe2013-2014academicyearweresubstantialandhadbeenwellreceivedatMakerFaireandIntersolar2014.Withthestartofthe2014academicyear,theteamsizegrewto26mechanicalengineers,twocomputerengineers,andonecivilengineer.Thegoalsofthatyearweretomotorizethefull-scalebogieanddemonstratetheworkingofaswitchaswellasrevisethescalemodeltobemorerepresentativeofthedesignatfull-scale.MakerFaire2015againservedasthemotivatoranddeadlineforthestudentstoproduceworkinghardware.Thefullscalemodelwasfabricatedinsteelanddemonstratedautonomousoperationofthemotorizedbogieandswitchingmechanism.Thereportfortheprojectisavailableat:http://tinyurl.com/gnfsqts.Videosofthefull-scaleandsmallscalemodelscanbeaccessedat:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFtP7O7OrwnJX5UELlvfAz2eMaWaOgd9R.OurexhibitionreceivedanEditor’sChoiceblueribbon.

Figure4.SpartanSuperwayProjectatMakerFaire2015.Ontheleft,thefullscaleimplementationofa‘Y’sectionofguideway,whichsupportsamotorizedbogietowhichamock-upvehiclecabinissuspended.Ontheright,theapproximate1/12thscalemodelofanATNnetworkwithautonomousvehicleinoperation.

Summer2015–InternationalSummerResearchProgram

Duringthesummerof2015,wehostedalargecontingentofstudentswhowereeagerforresearchexperience.WehadsevenstudentsfromBrazil,fourfromLinköpingUniversityinSweden,sixfrom

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PusanNationalUniversityinSouthKorea,twofromFrance,andahandfulfromtheU.S.ThestudentsfromBrazilworkedonrefiningvariousaspectsofthesolarpowersubsystemanddesigningasystemforlife-testingtheswitchingwheels;thestudentsfromSwedendesignedandfabricatedafull-scaleexteriormodelofanATNvehicle;thestudentsfromKoreaimprovedthecontrolsystemforthescalemodelanddesignedasuspensionforthecabinmodelbuiltbytheSwedes;theFrenchstudentsworkedonmultipleprojectsincludingdesigningaliftinggantryforthecabinmodel;theU.S.studentsimprovedthemechanicaldesignofthescalemodelvehicles,upgradedthefullscalecontrolsystem,anddesignedatestspecimenfortorsiontestingoftheguideway.

Figure5.AccomplishmentsbyBrazilianinternsinsummer2015.Ontheleft,‘solarization’ofthefull-scalemodel.Ontheright,arenderingofanapparatusfortestingthewheelsusedinthebogieatfullspeedandfullload.

Figure6.AccomplishmentsbySwedishinternsinsummer2015.Ontheleft,thefull-sizedexteriormodelpriortofinishing.Ontheright,thefinishedmodelpaintedbythe2015-2016cabindesignteam.

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Figure7.AccomplishmentsbyKoreaninternsinsummer2015.Ontheleft,ascreenshotofthecentralcontrolcomputeranditsgraphicalinterface.Ontheright,apassivesuspensionabovethecabinmodel.

Figure8.AccomplishmentsbyFrenchinternsinsummer2015.Ontheleft,thesolidmodelofaliftinggantry.Ontheright,thefabricatedgantrysupportingtheexteriorcabinmodel.

Figure9.AccomplishmentsbyU.S.internsinsummer2015.Ontheleft,thesolidmodelrenderingofanimproved‘vehicle’forthe1/12thscalemodel.Ontheright,thenewvehicleinoperationattheSiliconValleyS.T.E.A.M.Festival2015.

2015-2016–CurrentTeam

Inthecurrentacademicyearthereare42mechanicalengineersandthreeelectricalengineers,plustwoMSsoftwareengineersandtwoMSmechanicalengineersworkingin12sub-projects.

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Figure10.TheSpartanSuperwayteamfor2015-2016.

Thevarioussub-projectsaddress:• ¼scalemodel,whichwillfeatureaguidewaythatwilldemonstratethatvehiclescantraverse

30°inclines• Failsafebogiedesign• Expanded1/12thscalemodelthatwillenabledemonstrationofnetworkoperation• Smartphoneuserinterfacethatwillsimulate(andactuallycontrol)howauserwouldinteract

withthesystem• Activevehiclesuspension• Expandedsolarpowerforallmodels• Waysidepowerpickupformodeloperation

ThemotivatinggoalagainistoexhibitatMakerFaireBayArea2016inMay,2016.

ObservationsandLessonsLearned

Someobservationsandlessonswe’velearnedintheprocessofdesigninganATNwithstudents:

1. Theybringcreativityandenthusiasmintothework

Studentsareparticularlyeffectiveinattackingproblemswithfreshperspective.Theyhaveuniquefreedomtoexplorewhatcanbedonewithlimitedconstraint.ThisisespeciallyimportantconsideringwhereweareintheevolutionofATNtechnology,whichwelikentobeingsomewherebetweenthewalkie-talkieandthesmartphone(i.e.,notquitethereyet).

2. Theycanaccomplishmuchwithlimitedresources

Ontheonehand,havingverymodestresourcesislimitingintermsofwhatcanbedesigned,purchased,andfabricated.However,ontheotherhand,itprovidesopportunitytodevelopresourcefulandcreativethinkingto“domorewithless”asBuckminsterFulleradmonished.Havinglimitedresourcesalso

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providesstudentstheopportunitytolearnhowtogoaboutfindingtheresourcestheyneed,whichisavaluableskillinitself.

3. Thewholeenterpriseissimultaneouslyadvancingthetechnologyandeducatingthenextgenerationofworkersandentrepreneurswhowillbereadytostepintothenewtransitparadigmwhenitgainswidespreadacceptance

Weoftensaythattheworkthatthestudentsaredoingis‘raisingthebar’,meaningthatifagroupofstudentswithlimitedtimeandresourcescandemonstratethatsomethingcanbedoneorisfeasible,thencertainlyawell-fundedentitywithexperiencedprofessionalswillneedtodoatleastaswell.Also,thewidespreadimplementationofATNwillrequireaworkforcewithunderstandingandexperiencethatrelativelyfewpossessnow.AsmoreandmorestudentsgainexperiencewithATN,therewillbeanenlargingpooloftalenttodrawuponasATNbecomesanacceptedtransitoption.

4. It’shardtomaintaincontinuityfromyeartoyearwith100%turnover

Oneofthemostdifficultaspectsofworkingwithstudentsisthatweonlyhavethemforalimitedtime.Everyacademicyearwestartwithanewgroupthathasonlylimited,informalconnectiontothegroupwhocamebefore.Muchtimeisspentattheoutsetoftheyeargettingthenewstudents‘uptospeed’andhelpingthemsetuporganizationalandmanagerialstructuresunderwhichtocarryouttheirwork.

5. Knowledgecapture,transfer,andorganizationisachallenge

Itisalsochallengingtocaptureandtransferknowledgefromandbetweenteams,bothwithcurrentstudentsandfromyeartoyear.We’vehadsomesuccessusingGoogleDocsandhavingeachsub-teamteamandindividualstudentmaintainblogs.

Conclusion

StudentscanplayavitalroleinthedevelopmentofATN.Wehavebeensuccessfulinadvancingthestate-of-the-artwithgroupsofstudentsfromSanJoséStateUniversityandaroundtheworldsince2012.

LinkstoAdditionalInformationontheProject

http://www.cctv-america.com/2015/11/24/california-technologists-are-developing-the-podcar

http://abc7news.com/traffic/engineers-flock-to-mountain-view-to-discuss-future-of-podcars-/1070840/

http://blogs.sjsu.edu/today/2015/spartan-superway-may-be-the-ride-of-the-future/

Swenson,R.(2014).SolarSkyways.EnergyProcedia,57,109-116.Availableat:http://tinyurl.com/hzoqo3l