Present mobility options, especially in dense urban areas, are becoming more and more unsustainable. Fundamentally different approaches to personal mobility are needed to address the problems listed above and achieve sustainability. An automated transportation network (ATN) system utilizing ‘pod cars’ is one such approach. We propose to develop and bring to market the elements of a solar powered ATN system that will be scalable, replicable, and that can be located within existing rights of way in urban locales.

This is where the Spartan Superway comes in

The Spartan Superway Team is comprised mostly of senior level Undergraduate Students from the Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering at San Jose State University. The main core of Mechanical Engineering Students is joined by a small group of Electrical Engineering Seniors, as well as a few Masters Students of the University from various engineering departments. Working together with the International Institute of Sustainable Transportation (INIST) and a select group of Industry Mentors and Faculty Advisors the student group has a wealth of practical experience and knowledge to draw from. This current academic year’ s Spartan Superway Team has inherited the project as a legacy from previous students of San Jose State University; this is the fourth year of development as a Senior Design Project for the University. Through the first three years of the project the team developed a One-Twelfth Scale Model that supported working software and a control system for a single car, as well as a Full Scale length of track that faithfully demonstrates an intersection of track, as well as shows the manner in which the system can steer and switch while in motion on the track.

The Spartan Superway Team is much larger than it has been in previous years; almost fifty students have taken up the mantle left by their predecessors. To accompany the expanded roster, the team also has greater expectations and goals for this academic year. An expansion of the One-Twelfth Scale Model is planned that will increase the size of the system by four times and add more robust software to control multiple cars on the track simultaneously. This One-Twelfth Scale Model expansion is a challenge in its own right, but a newly built One-Quarter Scale Model will be the focus of this year’ s Spartan Superway Team. The One-Quarter Scale design will be faithful to the Full Scale system designed by previous years but will complete a loop to demonstrate continuous operation and will add slopes to the track and active suspension to the system to further prove the robustness of this design. As with any project of this size and scope the safety of those who interact in any manner with this system is a large concern; the current team is also researching the implementation of measures to make this system safer and add fail-safes to the design