Car design and new city logistics for the future unveiled at GREAT Festival of Innovation

A ground-breaking solution to the congestion caused by online shopping deliveries, and the first use of virtual reality technology to design cars, took centre stage at the GREAT Festival of Innovation in Hong Kong today. The pressure on space, resources and the environment was the thread running through today’s programme.

Leading UK transport designers PriestmanGoode unveiled its latest concept for cutting urban traffic and McLaren Automotive showcased for the first time a new way to design cars thanks to VR technology.

PreistmanGoode’s idea combines old and new technology by having barges use existing river and canal networks to get goods into the heart of cities. The final leg of the journey, taking orders to customers, would be made by autonomous drones. Paul Priestman, director, PriestmanGoode said:

“We’ve imagined cities in the future being adapted to accommodate drone technology leading to a big step change in city development and does not require the use of the already congested road network. Buildings, for example, could be designed to enable access from different levels, not just by the front door.  The banks of rivers, where all cities first emerged, are used again as major transport corridors supporting the delivery of the drone network.”

Delegates enjoyed a first-look at the results of a pioneering partnership between McLaren Automotive and UK based start-up Vector Suite, with a live demonstration of how designers are using VR to develop its latest sportscars and supercars. Mark Roberts, head of design operations at McLaren Automotive, said:

“McLaren is the first automotive company to utilise VR from the very beginning of the design process to fast track the way in which we design new models. We’re able to speed up the process and maximise the creativity with greater accuracy and, in turn, help our business ultimately build beautiful cars that meet our customers’ expectations."

Exploring how we will all live in the future Dame Wendy Hall – Regius Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton – delivered a Keynote with a fascinating and light-hearted look at how we will co-exist with artificial intelligence. Dame Hall summed up:

“The impact of what’s happening today will affect everyone in business and society.”

Experts including Shinya Kukita, chief engineer at NEC Corporation; Heba Bevan, founder of sensor pioneers UtterBerry; and Ambarish Mitra, chief executive of augmented reality firm Blippar, took the idea further in two debates on Smart Cities and how the collection and processing of data will be used to provide services for inhabitants.

Chairman and CEO of British Airways, Alex Cruz, was on stage for The Future of Travel debate looking at how self-driving vehicles are not that far-fetched. In a similar vein, The End of the Road for Cars – featuring Nissan’s autonomous vehicles supremo Takashi Yoshizawa – lifted the lid on how our highways might look in years to come when data may drive vehicles, rather than people.

Feeding cities is another significant challenge on the agenda. What’s for Dinner? Future Food and Farming delved into the important issue of food security. Richard Deverell, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge; and Justin Kong, from unmanned flight specialist XAircraft gave their views on innovations including in-vitro meat, drone-enabled agriculture, and waste reduction.

Green living was also the subject of Festival partner De Montfort University (DMU) Leicester’s showcase. A live build demo from DMU students unveiled ‘vertical village’ planting schemes in the sky fed by nitrogen from car exhausts. Based on this vision a structure the size of London’s tallest building, The Shard, could feed over 35,000 people a year sustainably.

Delegates looking for a taste of the world to come enjoyed UK non-alcoholic spirits business Seedlip mark the GREAT Festival by launching in Hong Kong and creating a cocktail designed to be paired with dim sum. Served during a masterclass delivered by chef Andrew Wong, The Dickens is a toast to the author.

MiRo the autonomous robot dog was another creative marvel on display. The cute canine from Consequential Robotics provides companionship and monitors the vital signs of its human ‘owner’. A supporting cultural programme at the Festival included the unveiling of a bespoke dress designed by Rebecca Street covered 22ct gold decoration highlighting the potential for wireless, washable printed circuit boards in the future.

For more information, please visit great.gov.uk/innovation or follow the hashtag #GREATinnovation.