The LA Auto Show and AutoMobility LA recently have announced the theme for this year's "Design & Developer Challenge, presented by Microsoft," taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Wednesday, November 29. Entitled "Smarter L.A. 2060," competition organizers and Microsoft are inviting leading automotive, transportation, mobility, technology, architecture and design companies to tap their most creative teams to imagine what life would be like in Los Angeles if it were to host the 2060 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Set in the year 2053, the theme focuses on the City of Los Angeles' bid to host its fourth Summer Olympics and Paralympics in the year 2060. In its presentation to the International Olympic Committee, the city must include a smart transportation/mobility plan that outlines how 20 million citizens, athletes, volunteers, dignitaries and visitors will get around Los Angeles using new and existing public, private and alternate modes of transportation/mobility.
"This year we are inviting automotive designers and mobility innovators to collaborate with architects, designers and urban planners, with a mission of inspiring the creation of smarter cities and ecosystems of the future," said Bryan Biniak, Nokia Growth Partners EIR, and emcee for this year's competition. "AutoMobility LA's annual Design & Developer Challenge facilitates a unique opportunity for designers and inventors to collaborate with the City of Los Angeles, the LA Auto Show, and lead the year's mobility conversation."
Design and/or developer departments or solo designers are encouraged to express interest by completing the online form and submitting a 250-word abstract here by September 15.
Teams must address the following in their plan (to date):
• Describe what "smarter" cities, mobility and venues are. How do they differ from their "smart" predecessors of the early 21st Century?
• How will the vehicles and infrastructure of Los Angeles change to accommodate for vertical transportation and level-five autonomy or greater?
• As we delve deeper into the Age of Internet of Things (IoT), what sort of experiences will athletes, fans and citizens from around the world…and beyond…to be able to have during the 2060 Olympics? How about those with special needs?
• Describe the experiences that the L.A. Convention & Visitors Bureau and the International Olympic Committee will use to market (mass and target, respectively) the Games in Los Angeles to athletes, visitors and locals.
• Embrace the three modern Olympic values (Friendship, Respect and Excellence) along with the four Paralympic values (Determination, Inspiration, Courage and Equality).
Teams that submit their concepts by October 31 will have the opportunity to present their plan in front of industry and media professionals attending this year's AutoMobility LA, including an esteemed panel of judges. Immediately following the presentations, the judging panel will select the winning team and present the winner with the Judges' Pick award.
Alongside the Judges' Pick (to be awarded on Nov. 29), teams will have two additional opportunities to win an honor, including the Industry Pick award, which offers industry and media professionals the opportunity to see the entrants' plans on automobilityla.com and vote for their favorite online. Additionally, the People's Pick award allows LA Auto Show attendees and fans around the world to vote for their favorite plan on laautoshow.com. Online voting will end on December 10, followed by the announcement of this year's winner(s) of the Industry Pick and People's Pick awards on December 11.
"Connected vehicles and smart infrastructure technology will lead to a new era of smart mobility that redefines transportation as we know it," said Doug Seven, Head of Azure IoT Mobility including the Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform, Microsoft. "At Microsoft, we are not just focused on the near future, but also on supporting creative ideas that will impact the world for decades to come. We are thrilled to sponsor this year's Design & Developer Challenge and support some of the brightest minds in imagining the future of transportation and connectivity."
Co-sponsored by Autodesk and Lacks Enterprises, the 2017 Design & Developer Challenge presented by Microsoft will take place in the Technology Pavilion (along with the design panel, exhibits, awards and industry social).
Ken Briodagh is a writer and editor with more than a decade of experience under his belt. He is in love with technology and if he had his druthers would beta test everything from shoe phones to flying cars.Edited by
Ken Briodagh
