A-Ways and Existing Buildings

Story: 25 years ago we were in a hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia, preparing for a presentation the next day at a conference. We had a lot to do and didn’t want to take the time to go out for a midnight snack.  So instead we brainstormed about a pizza-sized vehicle. We even figured out that it could run along the ceiling of the halls, and the tops of elevators, to deliver right into our rooms through a slot above our door. That way it wouldn’t interfere with anyone, or require a lot of construction. 

For new buildings, there will undoubtedly be clever designs for placing A-Ways – coming chapters will show sample building designs to take full advantage of Autonomous Vehicles inside.

So where are we going to put these separate A-Ways in existing buildings? We’ve already talked about using Autonomous Vehicles to have a person travel along with someone who is walking. Usually it isn’t practical to divide hallways into separate areas for Autonomous Vehicles. However, we can provide a continuous power feed along the wall, perhaps looking like a baseboard heating fixture. The power level can be low due to slow speeds, and the power would stop if anything other than an Autonomous Vehicle connected, as a Ground Fault Interrupt operates today. Autonomous Vehicles aren’t restricted to traveling along the walls, but they can minimize batteries by recharging as they travel along.

For smaller items, up to about one foot high, that can’t hitch a ride on one of those Autonomous Vehicles, there are several possibilities for placing A-Ways. Many public buildings, such as senior facilities and hospitals, have high ceilings in the halls, so we could attach an A-Way to the ceiling. Or, if there is a suspended ceiling, the A-Way could go in the space between the ceiling and the floor above. These A-Ways would run throughout the building, providing access to each room or apartment. Access to either of these A-Ways could be through an access port in the floor above, or an access port could reach down to the floor. The access ports would implement Autonomous Door functions. 

Another approach is attaching A-Ways to the sides of buildings. The A-Ways would be high enough to be out of the way of pedestrians and traffic. The A-Ways are only about 2’ high and a few feet wide, so they would probably not interfere with windows. Access Ports can be installed in different configurations: through a window like a window air conditioner, built into the side of a building, or through an extension to street-level or a higher level. The street-level access includes a mechanism to move the Container from the Access Port to the A-Way – suitable mechanisms are described in the section on Autonomous Elevators. The Access Port also serves as an Autonomous Door, regulating entrance into, and exit from the A-Way. A-Ways could also be suspended above roads where there are no convenient buildings.

Installation could start with a single A-Way connecting selected locations. This could be relatively simple and inexpensive. The Postal Service, and existing package delivery services, such as FedEx and UPS, are obvious early customers, providing rapid inexpensive delivery to their buildings for distribution to customers. Frequent users of those services are also candidates for early connection to the system. Online ordering services, such as Amazon and other retailers, can use automatic connection to delivery lockers, as they are deploying now. When your order has been delivered, you get an electronic notification to go to the specified location, and your notification includes a code to open the appropriate locker. As these lockers proliferate, and as more locations are connected to the Autonomous Transportation System, other uses will emerge. You could have your Starbucks beverage or your Panera breakfast delivered along your way to work. You could pick up flowers on the way home for the anniversary you almost forgot. Other stores will see the advantage of inexpensive, rapid delivery of all types of items such as: flowers, food to their stores. Then as the concept and technology are proven, and usefulness demonstrated, the system can be expanded to a robust grid increasing capacity, coverage, and redundancy.

Buildings directly connected to the Autonomous Transportation System will begin to attract higher prices because of the convenience. Congestion on the roads in the city will gradually decrease, while people get better and faster services. This will make the city more attractive as a place to live and work, raising property values and improving city finances.

Our proposal isn’t the first small transport system: leading large cities around the world had pneumatic transport systems to carry mail and other items. In 1853 the London Stock Exchange linked to the main telegraph station over 220 yards. In 1861 a pneumatic system large enough to move people opened in London.  New York City’s system started operation in 1897 and continued until 1953, when it was deemed too expensive.  Canisters 24” long and 8” in diameter could hold 600 letters and travel up to 35 mph. The 27 miles of tubes connected 23 post offices, and at its peak carried 30% of the mail in the city. The tubes were buried a few feet underground, which proved expensive and disruptive when a blockage occurred. Pneumatic systems are still used in hospitals, banks, and some stores; however, moving air around in a hospital doesn’t seem like a good idea to me.