Automatic rickshaws from Finland that can: - Transport 2-3 people or up to 9 people in group mode - Travel at speeds up to 70km/h on roads and climb hills easily - Integrate well with existing public transit and be used independently on campuses

1. Automatic rickshaws
from Finland
Asko Kauppi
BM Design Ltd.
Copyright 2010-13, BM Design Oy

2. BubbleMotion

3. light station

4. parallel station

5. Benefits
2-3 person cabin - right size capable of operating also integrates well with existing
for individual use during floods (to 2-3 meters public transport modes (s.a.
height) Bus Rapid Transit or metro)
group mode for up to 9
people capable of routing through also usable as a stand-alone
parks, forests, wetlands without community / campus network
no timetables; no interim disturbing wildlife or park users
stops more comfortable than using a
minimal construction time and private car
normal speed 45km/h effort
fully self-sustained (electricity,
fast mode (no intersections) dynamic track; can be communication)
70km/h dismantled and re-erected
elsewhere designed for resilience
stations always at pedestrian (accidents, catastrophies s.a.
level (or within buildings) no external electric contacts -> earthquakes)
safe
climbs 0..90° effortlessly the most energy efficient means
service based business model = of motorised transportation
no protrusions in the track; easy purchasing, proven quality (combines the benefits of rail
ideal for snow, sand and throughout the operations and light vehicles)
durability

6. Energy efficiency
single average full
efficiency (passenger-km / kWh)
Occupancy:
Congestion:
none full
20
Better
electric
15 hybrid
diesel
gasoline
10
5
0 effective
0 10 20 30 40 speed
(km/h)

7. Application areas
distance
(km)
local trains
100
50 local
buses bus rapid transit
10
taxis BM BM with
with small parallel
5 stations stations
metro
1
rickshaws
0
capacity
0 100 500 1000 5000 10000
(pphpd)
people per hour per direction

8. Markets
Urban Tourist
Campus Airports

9. Competition
ULTra: Heathrow T5, Amritsar, Gurgaon
2GetThere: Masdar (Abu Dhabi)
Vectus: Suncheon (South Korea)

10. Competition
in urban transport,
the existing solution
is a competition

11. Current state
Concept feasibility
Business contacts
CAD modeling
Simulator sw (alpha)
Pilot customer development
Finnish government contacts
We have 2-3 eligible pilot cases being discussed with local transport planners and
cities. Also, the Finnish government is starting a ‘Smart cities’ project in spring 2013
focusing on part-financing 3-5 world-leading pilot cases. We aim to be one of them.
A patent application was filed in 2010 but it expired in lack of funds. However, we
have clearance that the current design is not offending anyone’s patents.

12. Why Finland?
Great talent and business
- good educated workforce (software, automation, machinery, project management)
- many global leaders founded in Finland (Kone, Cargotec, Ruukki, Rovio, ...)
- small country where people generally ”know each other”
- good cleantech brand globally
Emerging startup mentality
- Lean Startup mentality is on the rise
- society under stress from change = looking for new and more efficient ways
- lot of construction going on in the Helsinki region (most within EU cities)
Government support
- government agency Tekes launching ‘Smart Cities’ program for 2013-20
- well established public/private partnerships
- subsidies for piloting and rail-bound public transport Challenges:
Finance infrastructure especially for
investments of 100k..1M eur is lacking.

13. Pilot
13-15M
Funding needs
Most funding
would come
from government
funds paid to the
customer. This
allows us to test
also the business
model.
Proto
2-5M
Seed
Launch 150-300k
60k
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
10

14. Seed capital use
Software track simulator alpha phase
- tool for planning pilot track Using Scala programming
- essential for customer communication language and framework
= sales tool
Functional CAD modeling spec confirmation
- making a functional model of track, vehicles and stations
- simulating static loads, friction, vibrations, performance Using Autodesk Inventor
= blueprint for a proto
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
10

15. Thank you
asko@bmdesign.fi
twitter: @bmdesignhki
we want to move you