The Next Mile

Beam Imagination
The Next Mile

Transportation is such an underrated and typically unsexy topic, but you’re wrong. We like whining about traffic and leaving it behind with us at the watercooler, but, in reality, evolving how we move will make us a better species. I think we’ve reached a tipping point where converging tech is going to let us take the hacksaw to our traditional transportation infrastructure. We’ll talk to established leaders in transportation, some trail-blazing pioneers and policymakers and pundits who are all leading the charge and looking to innovate how we move – at very least they’re taking a hard, curious and revealing look at what I call the most important issue we can all do something about. The Next Mile Podcast - presented by Beam Imagination - because the future of how we move could define what types of lives we lead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

  1. 12/27/2022

    Sam Schwartz of Pedestrian Traffic Management Services

    In today's episode of The Next Mile Podcast, Pouya Dianat is joined by Sam Schwartz, a man who has been in the transportation industry since the late 1960s. He started as a cabby from New York and rose to become the traffic commissioner and the DOT’s Chief Engineer. He popularized the term “gridlock” and changed the way New Yorkers thought about traffic. Key Points from this Episode: How will autonomous vehicles affect communities?The poor transit system in the USHow citizens should take a more active role in this discussionPutting greater emphasis on system maintenance than on simple repair issues Tweetables: “…in the United States, I never opened with science when I'm trying to sell a plan to some community or state or federal government, it's always the economy. We open on the impact on the economy.” - Sam Schwartz “The planet is on a collision course. We can't keep using the same amount of energy. We can't keep emitting the same carbon footprint. We can't be so selfish that we only count on what's good for ourselves. We have to start thinking collectively what is good for our planet.” - Sam Schwartz “We see transit systems spending too much money on basic repair issues when, had they been able and had the money in the first place to maintain the systems, they could have done it for a lot less money. So, the public should take a real interest because when you allow infrastructure to fail, you pay an enormous price in so many ways.” – Sam Schwartz Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Sam Schwartz Sam Schwartz on Twitter Street Smart: The Rise of Cities and the Fall of Cars on Amazon No one at the Wheel on Amazon  No One at the Wheel: Driverless Cars and the Road of the Future on Goodreads Street Smart: The Rise of Cities and the Fall of Cars on Barnes & Noble Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    26 min
  2. 12/12/2022

    Betsy Plattenburg of Curiosity Lab

    Just a little bit north of Atlanta, there’s a city that also works as a sandbox for technology and transportation innovation. On any given day, the Lab, complete with infrastructure to support autonomous driving, plays host to everything from autonomous buses to teleoperated scooters as they try to create a city that gives new meaning to live, work, play.    On today’s episode, I am talking about this tech-haven, with my guest, Betsy Plattenburg, who is the executive director of Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners.    Don’t miss out, on Season 2’s first episode of The Next Mile, where we have an interesting conversation about the importance of creating test platforms in the real world for the wave of oncoming change in the transportation landscape.   Questions I ask: What is Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners? (01:13)What makes a public testing sandbox an attractive draw for startups and technology companies? (04:00)How does AV technology force us to reconsider the design of the car? (7:58)How does Curiosity Labs latest test with teleoperated scooters show how quickly tech pivots and adapts? (10:01)What are some of the differences we’d expect to see on the roads where testing is being done versus what we’re used to? (11:45)What makes Curiosity Lab unique as a public government-owned entity? (15:30)  In this episode, you will learn: Local Motors Olli autonomous bus at the Lab (4:15)The five levels of autonomy (5:55)What Curiosity Lab looks like (11:30)Curiosity Labs many infrastructure partnerships (16:30) Connect with Betsy: LinkedInCuriosity Lab at Peachtree Corners Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    13 min
  3. 04/12/2021

    Robert Brown of TuSimple

    A rare moment of widespread global uncertainty has paved the path and proved the point for one industry poised to transform how we move freight across our planet – autonomous trucking. We speak with one of the leading companies in this space, TuSimple, and their head of government and public affairs, Robert Brown.  From finding cost and time efficiencies to improving how we connect in a time of need, TuSimple’s robust sensor suite is doing more than just establishing new technology – it’s mending our planet one automated shipment at a time.     On today’s episode, we’ll explore the technology and ethos that make up TuSimple’s vision for bringing autonomy to 18-wheelers. Don’t miss out on this episode of The Next Mile, where we have a conversation about the importance of this game-changing technology to our nation’s infrastructure pipeline. Questions I ask: Why was the autonomous trucking sector so much more appealing than consumer AVs?What is the secrete sauce that sets apart the technology being used by TuSimple?What are the benefits TuSimple has found so far with truck automation?How is TuSimple leveraging partnerships with big logistics companies to prove their position in the marketplace?How has the COVID-19 pandemic forced you to reimagine some of the work you are doing?How does TuSimple balance the need for a human workforce with automation? Connect with Robert and TuSimple: LinkedInTuSimple Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    15 min

Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

Transportation is such an underrated and typically unsexy topic, but you’re wrong. We like whining about traffic and leaving it behind with us at the watercooler, but, in reality, evolving how we move will make us a better species. I think we’ve reached a tipping point where converging tech is going to let us take the hacksaw to our traditional transportation infrastructure. We’ll talk to established leaders in transportation, some trail-blazing pioneers and policymakers and pundits who are all leading the charge and looking to innovate how we move – at very least they’re taking a hard, curious and revealing look at what I call the most important issue we can all do something about. The Next Mile Podcast - presented by Beam Imagination - because the future of how we move could define what types of lives we lead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada