Amsterdam to get Self-driving 'roboats' on its canals read more at here www.spinonews.com/index.php/item/933-amsterdam-to-get-self-driving-roboats-on-its-canals

Nearly a quarter of Amsterdam is covered by a canal system. The Amsterdam Institute for Metropolitan Solutions (AMS) on Monday announced a new, five-year research initiative to explore the possible functions of floating robot vehicles it’s calling “roboats.”

The Self-driving car revolution may not quite be upon us - but researchers are already planning to bring driverless boats in Amsterdam. The Amsterdam Institute for Metropolitan Solutions (AMS) is working with MIT, Delft University of Technology and Wageningen University and Research on a 5-year, £21.4m project. 

Carlo Ratti, principal investigator at MIT, said: "Imagine a fleet of autonomous boats for the transportation of goods and people.

AMS scientific director Arjan van Timmeren said, The boats will also gather environmental data on water and air quality and noise - and help clear the Amsterdam's waterways of the more than 12,000 bicycles a year that end up in the canals. 

Researchers hope to have the first prototype on Amsterdam’s canals by 2017.