At-sea towing of a Mega-Float unit

A huge floating offshore platform (359m long, 60m wide, and 3m deep) was towed into the Pacific Ocean for a validation experiment for a floating airport. Full-scale measurements of towline tension and the bending strain on the upper-deck were made during towing. The measured bending moment agreed well with numerical calculation without taking the draught and towing speed into consideration.     

Developing the logical cross-sectoral framework of local SDGs project targeting safety and sustainability

Localization of sustainable development goals (SDGs) was given a boost at the 2019 Seville commitment, which highlighted the importance of local governments on sustainability. Various cities worldwide are at different stages of the localization program. Therefore, in this paper, we discuss two small cities in India that have advanced towards collectively achieving certain targets in SDGs 3, 9, and 11, despite having a small budget, limited human resources, and less international exposure. By utilizing the plan, do, access or analyze, report, and utilize (PDARU) cycle and logic model, we accessed the methods that led to the development of SDG-oriented street designs. The findings show that consensus building of different stakeholders eases data collection and analysis. Residents are adamant to adopt SDGs, but once they are sensitized, they become willing to contribute towards their realization. This exchange of ideas among different government sectors and the residents depicts a cross-sectoral cooperation that is a backbone in localizing SDGs. Despite the fact that social and environmental issues are more dire today, residents understand economic issues better because they directly affect their livelihood in the short run. Therefore, to set realistic localized goals, baselines must reflect residents' short and long-term requirements. Furthermore, by focusing on the top three problems of the locality, other problems are either directly or indirectly addressed. To create a similar strategy in other cities, a back-casting Theory of Change was adopted to propose a methodology for implementation.     

Development of low-CO2-emission vehicles and utilization of local renewable energy for the vitalization of rural areas in Japan

Most of Japan's energy supply depends on imports from foreign countries, making the independence ratio of energy in Japan very low. The Fukushima nuclear power plant accident triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami led to a mass shutdown of all the nuclear plants in Japan, a stoppage that is still in effect. In this paper, we review the energy supply situation and some social problems faced by rural areas in Japan. Given that lifestyles in rural Japan are reliant on automobiles, there is significant demand for the establishment of a sustainable mobility society. Furthermore, Japan is now entering an aging society ahead of other countries. In order to enhance the vitalization of rural areas and accelerate the establishment of sustainable society, our project developed low-CO₂-emission vehicles (i.e., a single-driver EV [micro-EV] and a low-speed E-bus) for elderly people and tourists through the cooperation of regional industries, a local university, and a city office. This paper also reports some trial test results on renewable energy utilization as the driving energy supply for these low-emission vehicles.     

The effects of critical peak pricing for electricity demand management on home-based trip generation

This paper examines electricity critical peak pricing (CPP) as a measure for controlling electricity demand at critical peak times. This pricing scheme is designed to facilitate energy conservation not only inside but also outside the home. For this study, we surveyed consumer propensity to leave the home under CPP schemes and analyzed the impact of CPP on consumer cost. The results indicated that higher prices induce a higher rate of going out, while residential conditions such as population density and access to public transportation have a relatively small impact on leaving the home and average energy conservation. However, this is not always the case for aged households with limited mobility; residential conditions have a substantial effect on this segment of the population. Combined with a reduced ability to go out, electricity pricing has a greater negative impact on aged people. These results imply that improving accessibility through transportation development and urban compaction is an effective means of saving electricity alleviating the negative impact of CPP on the aged society of the future.     

Measuring the impact of urban policies on transportation energy saving using a land use-transport model

Various projects all over the world are attempting to build smart cities in hopes of achieving energy-efficient and livable communities, but most of them are aiming to fulfill their goals technologically. However, the energy efficiency and livability of a city are affected by not only these technological factors but also urban structures that encompass residential areas, offices, transportation networks, and other facilities. Urban policies intervene in transportation and land-use conditions and thereby change how citizens consume energy and go about their daily lives as the actors in the urban system alter their behavior. This means that energy efficiency and quality of life share close ties. Assessments of urban policies thus need to consider the reactions of actors to the intervention.     

Mobility as a service for road traffic safety in a high use of motorcycle environment

Mobility as a service is expected to contribute to a safer, more efficient and sustainable transport by putting the right modes in the right places and connecting them intermodally. The aim of mobility as a service in a local context (MaaS-LC) is to build safety awareness and enhance road traffic safety, and it was developed by combining both a Safety Index and a Walkability Index. The Safety Index was derived from traffic accidents and volume data while the Walkability Index is the result of connections and places in the surroundings. As a case study, a trial experiment was conducted in Phuket, Thailand, which depicted the characteristics of the South and Southeast Asia region. The results showed that the usability and useful information on the MaaS-LC application could influence and change the travel behavior of people. Moreover, the difference between transit users and private vehicle users was how they considered walkability. This study concluded that this app could raise people's safety awareness. Nonetheless, it has yet to show an influence on people regarding their choices of transportation.     

A video-based approach to promote safe driving among foreign visitors to Japan

Recently, the demand for car rentals has been increasing at tourist destinations in Japan due to their convenience and the high degree of freedom they offer. On the other hand, there is a problem of a dramatic rise in the number of traffic accidents involving drivers from countries with different traffic customs and cultures from Japan. In order to examine measures to reduce the traffic accident risk of foreign drivers visiting Japan, an animation video to promote safe driving was created and its educational effects were tested in this article. First, through a driving survey of foreigners and a review of preceding studies, we identified information on Priority, Speed, and Comprehension (PSC) that must be learned by foreign visitors to reduce their accident risk. Next, drawing from the technique of branded contents in order to enhance the effects of educational videos, we created a short video that conveys the PSC philosophy that should be understood for safe driving in Japan. We then tested the educational effects of the video by conducting a survey of Taiwanese people. The results show that strengthening the video's appeal leads to improvements in educational effects and therefore safety awareness. We also realized that the effect was particularly significant among young people in their twenties. Lastly, the rent-a-car businesses evaluated the videos and basing on their input, we summarized effective ways for foreign rent-a-car users visiting Japan to use the video.     

Looking at sustainable urban mobility through a cross-assessment model within the framework of land-use and transport integration

In order to realise sustainable urban transport, it is necessary to combine different kinds of decision-making, including vision-led, plan-led and consensus-led approaches. In this paper, a cross-assessment model that supports both vision-led and consensus-led approaches is proposed as an analytical tool for developing sustainable urban transport and land use strategies for a low-carbon society. It is applied to an impact analysis of public transport and land use strategies in 2030 for all of Japan's 269 urban areas, with outcomes – including the financial balance of public transport operation, user benefits, and CO₂ emissions reduction – compared by strategy and urban area.     

Active Steering Systems Based on Model Reference Adaptive Nonlinear Control

This paper presents a model reference adaptive nonlinear control strategy for active steering of a two wheel steering car which is realized by steer-by-wire technology. The ideal fixed property of a steering system, which is provided by a reference model, is attained by D * control. The proposed method can treat the nonlinear relationships between the slip angles and the lateral forces on tires, and the uncertainties on the friction of the road surface, whose compensations are very important under critical situations. Some results of realtime simulation with a steering equipment show the effectiveness of the proposed method.