SXSW Moments: Future Travel
The Forrest Four-Cast: July 22, 2019
Did you miss something at SXSW 2019? Want to relive the magic? Look to this space over the coming weeks for links to video and audio replays of some of the most incredible experiences from this year’s event.
The spectacle of a man hovering above the streets of Paris on a jetboard for Bastille Day underscores the fact that the transportation sector is facing extraordinary challenges and exciting opportunities. From jetboards to drones to driverless cars, the pace of innovation is accelerating like the slickest Ferrari. Check out these amazing panels from SXSW 2019 on the future of getting from here to there.
Self-Driving Cars: The Future is When? With Malcolm Gladwell and Chris Urmson
Like it or not, self-driving vehicles are coming. With ever-increasing speed, the technology for creating both autonomous private vehicles and public transportation is becoming a reality. But who do we become when we relinquish control to machines? How safe will these vehicles be? What will they look like? And who owns the data they generate? To mark the SXSW world premiere of his new documentary, “Autonomy,” Malcolm Gladwell (author and host of Revisionist History) joined Chris Urmson (CEO of Aurora Innovation) and NBC News Correspondent Jo Ling Kent for a conversation about where we’re heading and who we’ll be when we get there.
Watch the video here.
Cybersecurity in the Age of Automation
Transportation systems are increasingly complex, and more reliant than ever on multiple paths of connectivity to communicate and exchange data. It will take an all-hands-on-deck approach to ensure our nation’s transportation system is secure and prepared for the future. Check out some of the emerging efforts to improve the cybersecurity of our transportation system.
Designing for Self-Driving: A New Kind of Ride
Over the last 100 years, cars have gotten faster and smarter. But, the way people use them hasn’t fundamentally changed…until now. Today, self-driving cars are more than a moonshot, they’re a reality. And turning this technology into a service that people can use in their daily lives requires a whole new set of considerations. Consider the design challenges at hand when you have a virtual driver, and a vacant driver’s seat: How do riders indicate they’re ready for their trip to start? How should the car communicate what it’s seeing, doing and what route it plans to take? And down the line, how might we design cars differently when you don’t have to consider a human driver?
The Trillion Dollar VC Mobility Bet
New technologies in automation, ride sharing, electrification, pedal power and long-haul transportation have the potential to create new mobility markets and commercial opportunities that were unimaginable 10 years ago. This new reality is forcing transportation companies to evolve to keep up with challengers who are pushing the innovation envelope. Investors on this panel discuss the emerging technologies transforming the way we think of mobility.
Death Toll Zero: Autonomous Vehicle Safety + Adoption
Autonomous vehicles have the power to save lives. With current AV development approaches, safety in standard scenarios will continue to make strides, yet real-world edge cases faced by human drivers every day are much harder to solve for. Aptiv’s approach to developing AV technology, Rulebooks, incorporates AI into a hierarchy of safe, human-like driving behaviors in order to teach autonomous vehicles to operate in a multitude of environments — including unpredictable real-world scenarios.
How Waymo Builds Self-driving Trucks
Get a behind-the-scenes look at how self-driving trucks are built, trained, and tested by Waymo. Trucking is a vital part of the global economy and self-driving trucks have the potential to make this sector safer and more efficient. This session with Vijaysai Patnaik, who works on building self-driving trucks and cars for Waymo, dives into the cutting-edge technology behind Waymo’s self-driving trucks and the extensive testing they go through.
Sharing the Road With Driverless Trucks: Really?
With driverless truck technology being tested on public roads, challenging questions arise. Are we safer sharing the road with these robot behemoths? Will they lower shipping costs? Well-funded tech startups are applying AI, new functional safety concepts, and innovative business models to launch this transformation of road freight. Thought leaders from pioneering companies debate pros and cons with industry experts and provide a grounded look at what’s to come.
By Land, Air and Sea: The Future of Freight
Automation has the potential to transform the nation’s freight transportation system, a vital asset that supports every sector of the economy. Delivery-by-drone and highly-automated trucks have caught the imagination of the public and private sector investors. This session discusses how we can ensure these technologies improve the throughput and safety of our freight system, and what the federal government’s role is in achieving the vision of an integrated freight system.
More Memories from SXSW 2019
The Future of Food
AI, With Feeling
Future of AI
Why News Matters
Better Storytelling
Innovative Design
Addressing MeToo
AI for Business
Public Interest AI
Change is Coming
Urban Mobility
It’s Time for Sports!
Saving the Ocean
Military Matters
Women’s Health
Social Media Power
Telling New Media Stories
Motherhood
Marvel’s Magic
Future Health
May the Fourth
Women in Tech
Growing Unicorns
Thriving at Work
Making a Difference
Fighting Fake News
Disaster Response
Hacking Democracy
Pete Buttigieg
Kara Swisher
Arlan Hamilton
Hugh Forrest serves as Chief Programming Officer at SXSW, the world’s most unique gathering of creative professionals. He also tries to write at least four paragraphs per day on Medium. These posts often cover tech-related trends; other times they focus on books, pop culture, sports and other current events.
