The future of inclusive mobility

Transportation is an integral part of our everyday lives and often the key to accessing crucial societal benefits like employment, education, and healthcare. Yet, for many, the ability to move freely is not a given. People with disabilities, the elderly, and financially disadvantaged communities frequently face significant mobility barriers. However, a global shift toward inclusive mobility is underway, promising better access to jobs, services, and opportunities for all.

In South Korea, the Songdo International Business District is minimizing reliance on cars through the use of smart buses and bike-sharing. In northwestern Saudi Arabia, a new city is being created from scratch. Called NEOM, the ambitious development plans to do away with cars in favor of a public transit system of high-speed rail systems and autonomous electric vehicles. And in Andhra Pradesh, India, a new city, Amaravati, includes an extensive public transit system, electric buses and designated cycling paths. Its street layout prioritizes easy access to public transit, ensuring efficient mobility services for all residents and visitors.

Indeed, cities around the world are addressing the challenges of inclusive mobility, an increasingly complex issue as populations expand and the demand for efficient, sustainable, and equitable transportation systems grows. Aging and inadequate infrastructure pose mobility concerns for large segments of the population, while air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions contribute to climate change and public health issues. Many aging transportation systems are difficult to access for people with disabilities, limiting their mobility, which in turn, limits how they engage in the workforce and in their communities.

As planners consider effective ways to move people in, around and through cities, they are redesigning infrastructure, promoting public transportation, ride-sharing, cycling, walking, and promoting new ways to move around, such as electric and autonomous vehicles, e-scooters, vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft (VTOL) and personal devices that can help more people better access their world.

At Dassault Systèmes, we believe inclusive mobility solutions will open the world to all individuals, regardless of age, ability, income level or geographic location, and in return, will create economic opportunities, social equity, environmental sustainability and improved quality of life. 

We put this belief on display with the “Act for Inclusive Mobility,” the latest initiative of our The Only Progress is Human campaign. Held over two gorgeous autumn days in Paris, the Mobility Act saw Kazuhiko Kanno, a paracycling athlete and Dassault Systèmes employee, set a Guinness World Record for handcycling, and brought together thousands for a celebratory night ride through the City of Lights.

Let’s take a look at some other examples of how inclusive mobility is becoming a reality:

1. Rescue Roadster: During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, French designer Tony Parez-Edo Martin came up with an idea for a fleet of autonomous flying rescue roadsters that would take patients to the hospital quickly and safely. He used the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to model the project, solve design problems and collaborate with an engineering team to move it forward at each stage of developing the concept vehicle.
2. Bowhead Corporation: Co-founded by a disabled  athlete, Christian Bagg, the company designs adaptive equipment like all-terrain bikes for individuals with mobility disabilities.
3. Hopper: A start-up in the Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE Lab accelerator program, Hopper is developing economically accessible running blades for mobility-impaired athletes. They have a vision of creating all manner of adaptive sports equipment from wheelchairs to stroller skies and more.
4. Gyrolift: Combining features of a Segway and a robotic module, Gyrolift offers a novel electric vehicle that enables people with mobility issues to move around comfortably.
5. .Lumen: This company is developing specialized glasses that use technology common to self-driving vehicles to mimic the function of guide dogs, transforming mobility for the visually impaired.

The quest for inclusive mobility is a shared journey among individuals and innovators around the world. At Dassault Systèmes, we believe everyone, regardless of their physical abilities or limitations, possesses the capability to achieve their goals. And we believe in the power of virtual twins to help achieve those goals by simulating how design and urban planning decisions impact people’s ability to move through the world freely.