New sustainable transportation solution in urban areas, S.A.T. Project: Towards a simulation modelling approach

Abstract

SAT Project (US 6.431.078 B2) is a three-dimensional transportation system - a dynamic transportation system - which will create the first step towards breaking up with the bi-dimensional use of modern cities. It is designed for the transportation of people and/or freight (around 15-20 passenger per unit). It consists of unitary electric-vehicles, working under different directions of movement: horizontal, vertical, and on a gradient. Its tracks are modular structures in the form of suspended tubes requiring minimum supports. Vehicles will work under various displacement directions (suspended, laid on tracks, and laterally supported). It will consequently act as a catalytic tool towards the re-definition of urban space, generating mutations on architectural morphology and typology. It is a private-public transportation system, due to the possibility of interacting under different urban scales - from smaller and private to larger and public. SAT project will provide a possible sustainable solution to the new demand and requirement for urban transportation in the future. In this paper, a first attempt for developing a library of simulation building block is discussed in order to be able to evaluate the SAT-project, its' merits for reliable logistic service, technical feasibility, environmental benefits and cost performance. © 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.