Press Releases

Lisbon, 9 July 2007 – The Pedro Nunes Institute and the Vodafone Foundation, tomorrow at 11h00 at Pavilion 1 of the Lisbon International Fair (FIL) at Parque das Nações, will be carrying out a demonstration of Cybermoving, as part of the POR TI 2007 technology showcase, an initiative promoted by the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union.

This project aims to promote mechanisms that support sustainable mobility within the urban environment, namely driverless alternative transport systems based on renewable energy sources.

Cybermoving can be used for the transport of people between peripheral parks and workplaces, for the transport of patients with little mobility between hospital units, or for the transport of visitors between places of cultural or touristic interest.

The vehicle’s maintenance and control system is being developed in a partnership between the Vodafone Foundation of Portugal and the Pedro Nunes Institute, and a demonstration on a larger scale is foreseen to be held in a Portuguese city during the first trimester of next year.

These vehicles are entirely controlled by computer in conjunction with wireless communication technologies – mobile or Wi-Fi – respecting traffic signs, stopping when they detect people or obstacles in its path, responding to the passengers’ requests and returning autonomously to the place designated as the point of origin when no longer needed.

The development of this type of vehicle will allow the cities of the future to have improved air quality, due to the reduction in gaseous emissions into the atmosphere; less noise, as they are far more silent than a typical vehicle; and less traffic congestion, as they can be of shared use.