Milton Keynes is at the forefront of growth in technology and artificial intelligence.
The City Council has ambitious plans to continue growing and connecting the tech ecosystem in the city and develop Milton Keynes’ global reputation as a smart city and home of innovation.
As many residents will know, Milton Keynes is home to many trials; from our much-loved fleet of Starship Robots to ‘through-pavement’ electric car charging. Now, residents can expect to see a self-driving bus on city roads this winter. The bus, named StreetCAV is a ‘plug-and-play’ driverless shuttle that has been developed by a consortium of private and public sector organisations.
Smart City Consultancy (SMCCL) has been leading the project, with funding from Zenzic, and hopes to see the self-driving bus open to passengers as early as next year if successful. Zenzic was set up to help the UK become a world-leader in self-driving and connected vehicles.
The self-driving bus is not the only new technology to be introduced to the streets of Milton Keynes, with the City Council’s new Roadmender Elastomac technology now fixing potholes across the city.
The new pothole machine will improve the quality of road repairs that will last longer than traditional methods, as well as improving the time it takes to do the work. The cutting-edge system is also highly sustainable, using recycled materials, to reduce both waste and carbon emissions.
The process uses a pioneering material which bonds to the existing surface without the need of extensive digging, allowing for repairs to take place with less disruption, and it is naturally water-resistant, meaning repairs last longer.
Trials of the technology in Milton Keynes and other council areas have shown the approach to be very successful, reducing the cost of repairs and allowing more potholes to be filled as council budgets are stretched.
At the end of October, our Artificial Intelligence Festival saw more than 1,000 people take part. The event brought together tech experts and businesses to showcase cutting- edge technologies that the city will benefit from in the coming years.
The festival started off at Bletchley Park, where Cabinet Member for Economy, Sustainability and Innovation, Cllr Shanika Mahendran chaired a panel discussion with the Chief Executive Officer of Bletchley Park, Iain Standen; and Erika Lewis who served as Chief Executive Officer of the AI Safety Summit last year.
The panel took part in an insightful discussion looking back on the world’s first event that brought together international governments and leading AI companies to consider how AI can benefit society through internationally coordinated action.
Throughout the festival, attendees took part in events, conferences and hackathons hosted by major organisations, including Bletchley Park, The Open University, His Majesty’s Government Communications Centre, Santander and Protospace.
The final event marked the opening of the UK’s first Smart City Experience Centre in centre:mk. The centre is a joint initiative between private sector partners and the City Council, serving as a shop window for customers to experience and interact with robots and digital technologies.
Find out more at www.milton-keynes.gov.uk
