Robohub.org
The driverless city | Project Syndicate
A recent paper by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s SMART Future Mobility team shows that the mobility demand of a city like Singapore – potentially host to the world’s first publicly-accessible fleet of self-driving cars – could be met with 30% of its existing vehicles. Furthermore, other researchers in the same group suggest that this number could be cut by another 40% if passengers traveling similar routes at the same time were willing to share a vehicle – an estimate supported by an analysis of New York City Taxis shareability networks. This implies a city in which everyone can travel on demand with just one-fifth of the number of cars in use today.
Read more by Carlo Ratti and Matthew Claudel on the Project Syndicate
tags: Automotive, driverless cars
Hallie Siegel
robotics editor-at-large
Hallie Siegel
robotics editor-at-large
AUAI is supported by:
Related posts :
Robotics roadmaps from around the world
IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS)
12 Aug 2026
We embark on a tour into some of the recent and prominent robotics roadmaps from around the world.
A ‘5-in-1’ seed-sized surgical robot
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
10 Aug 2026
Mini robot can move, cut tissue, release drugs, grip and store samples, and generate heat wirelessly
AI agents create virtual playgrounds to help robots get crucial training data
MIT News
07 Aug 2026
“SceneSmith” system uses collaborative AI agents to create realistic 3D environments of places like kitchens, hotels, and living rooms, where robots can simulate everyday chores.
Robots in society, business and culture: July 2026
IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS)
06 Aug 2026
A round up of robotics stories in a new monthly series from IEEE RAS.
Simulated zebrafish and a vision-equipped robotic fish reveal how the body shapes brain circuits
Researchers look to the fish brain to create a robotic zebrafish that can autonomously swim upstream.
Researchers develop modular nanorobot
University of Basel
31 Jul 2026
A team at the University of Basel has developed a versatile nanorobot with propulsion and payload modules.
Surviving the paper deluge: a one-year study in learning from demonstration
IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS)
29 Jul 2026
With the explosion of robotics research, staying current in fields like Learning from Demonstration is a monumental challenge.
Soft robotic heart offers new way to study disease and test life-saving devices
University of New South Wales
28 Jul 2026
Researchers have developed a soft robotic model of the human heart that can mimic disease and provide a realistic environment for testing the next generation of cardiac devices.
