Tuesday 17 September | 2024
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WELCOME TO THE FUTURE “Thankyou for coming to celebrate the future!” said Dr. Michio Kaku, futurist and theoretical physicist. “History belongs to those who dare to challenge the unknown.” He was welcoming delegates to the 30th ITS World Congress in Dubai, in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (pictured above with Ertico chairman Angelos Amditis). While Kaku is renowned
worldwide for his writing on parallel universes and string theory, Brian Cronin from the US Department of Transportation brought things down to earth at the Grand Opening by highlighting the 40,000 people killed on US roads each year. “We have a crisis in fatalities – but we have the technology ready to scale now,” he said. Vehicle to Everything (V2X) has the power to save lives. “Today it is
the time to act, it is the time to deploy,” Cronin added. At the ceremony, three people were inducted into the ITS Hall of Fame: Shailen Bhatt, former boss of the US Federal Highways Administration; Jennie Martin, former head of ITS UK; and Ninnart Chaithirapinyo, founder of ITS Thailand. Also on Day 1 of #ITSDubai2024, event organiser Ertico announced it is launching two new ventures:
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the first is the ITS-Driven IAS Innovation Platform, designed to help bring ITS skills and experience to the nascent world of urban air mobility. “How does traffic management happen in the new space?” asked Ertico CEO Joost Vantomme. The second is the Ertico ITS Middle East chapter - to create a ‘lasting legacy’ in the region, as this is the first time ITS World Congress has been held in the Middle East.
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