Autonomous Roboats to sail the canals of Amsterdam

By Matthew Griffin Future Transport 30th September 2016

Cities might have a monopoly on driverless cars but Amsterdam has driverless ships

The idea of self-driving cars cruising our roads may not be a new idea, but a plan to release autonomous boats into the canals of Amsterdam would be the first of its kind. The Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS Institute) is collaborating with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on the first research program into the new technology. Called “Roboats,” the autonomous ships would be designed to transport goods and people, as well as forming temporary, floating infrastructure.

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As the roboats cruise through the canals, the project will gather data on how urban waterways can be used to improve the city’s function and the quality of life of residents. They’ll be equipped with sensors that allow the boats to detect pollution and disease in the water, and could eventually be used to protect the environment. They could also be used to retrieve waste thrown in the water which in Amsterdam is no small problem – for example, over 12,000 discarded bicycles end up in the canals every year.

Amsterdam in particular was chosen for the project due to the large amount of the city covered by water. Nearly a quarter of the city is taken up by its waterways, which were originally designed as part of the city’s functional infrastructure. The first prototypes of the boats will be released in 2017, with the research project lasting for the next five years.

Matthew Griffin / About Author

Described by NASA as a "Walking Encyclopaedia of the Future" and one of the world’s most in demand keynote speakers Matthew Griffin, Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm, is a multi-award winning Futurist and strategic foresight expert, author, lecturer, mentor, podcast and YouTube host.

With a distinguished career running global business units at Atos, EMC, and IBM today Matthew helps leaders and titans of industry from all over the world explore the impact of the inter sections of technology, culture, and leadership, then helps them create high performance organisations that can continuously disrupt, outpace, and outthink their competition.

15 times author of the hit series the Codex of the Future series Matthew's ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends on global business, culture, and society has earned him a powerful reputation and a roster of clients that include royal households, world leaders across the G7, G20, and G77, and many of the world's most recognised and exceptional organisations including ABB, Accenture, ABN Amro, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi Group, Coca Cola, Deloitte, Dentons, Disney, Dow, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Microsoft, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Nokia, Paramount, PepsiCo, PWC, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, T-Mobile, UBS, Visa, WIRED, WPP and hundreds of others.

Matthew is regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, and his mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.