San Jose State University
IN-1: Innovation 1

At San José State University, we have been driving innovation in solar-powered automated transit network (ATN) development with students since 2012 and continue to the present day through the Spartan Superway Project. The solar-powered ATN focused on two efforts, one of which was to develop a new curriculum stem in sustainable mobility within departments, and the other to drum up industry projects for a newly conceived interdisciplinary senior project program in the College of Engineering. The program also involves the participation of student across the globe. In summer 2015, students from Brazil, Sweden, South Korea, Frances were part of the International Summer Program. http://www.inist.org/Projects/SpartanSuperway

Students played a vital role in the development of ATN. San Jose State University have been successful in advancing the state-of-the-art with groups of students from San José State University and around the world since 2012. Few results of the program: • ¼ scale model, which will feature a guideway that will demonstrate that vehicles can traverse 30° inclines. • Fail safe bogie design • Expanded 1/12th scale model that will enable demonstration of network operation • Smart phone user interface that will simulate (and actually control) how a user would interact with the system. • Active vehicle suspension. • Expanded solar power for all models. • Wayside power pickup for model operation. Observation of the program with respect to student: 1. Students bring creativity and enthusiasm into the work. 2. The Student can accomplish a lot with limited resources. 3. The whole enterprise is simultaneously advancing the technology and educating the next generation of workers and entrepreneurs who will be ready to step into the new transit paradigm when it gains widespread acceptance.