Swedish family drama demonstrates Volvo’s ITS

Woody Allen, Ingmar Bergman and Volvo. For the first time ever, the Volvo Group is using theatre centring on human drama to spread the word about intelligent transport systems. The Volvo shows are being staged during the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) congress in Stockholm between 21st and 25th September 2009.

Every day, a married couple drive their car on the commute to work in town. Suddenly one morning, they are faced with an unwelcome problem: the tunnel they usually take is flooded and has been closed to traffic. The atmosphere in the car soon becomes irritable – what can they do now?

This scenario is one of the short stage shows put on at the ITS congress with the aim of demonstrating - in an engaging and easy to understand way - the positive effects of ITS in the areas of road safety, transport security, efficient transport and environmental care. The stage shows also provide insight into how ITS might influence people’s lives in the future.

The solution for the commuting couple in the car comes in the form of intelligent transport systems that co-ordinate vehicle with infrastructure.

“The challenge was to find human stories in the midst of all the technology and to highlight interesting roles that carry the story forward,” says stage director Carl Sundemo, who normally makes TV and film commercials.

Of the five scenarios that will be staged in the demo theatre, the Volvo Group has organised three together with Lindholmen Science Park, Vinnova, the Swedish Road Administration, Green Cargo and Chalmers/Viktoria Institute, among others, putting the focus on integrated traffic and transport systems and their role in safe, secure and sustainable transport solutions.

In the ‘Secure Transport’ scenario, the public will be able to follow the transport of dangerous cargo where, among other things, the time aspect is of particular importance. ‘Safe and Sustainable Transport Solutions’ demonstrates the various challenges a cargo may face before reaching its final destination.

“We chose theatre as a medium because we have found that theatre engages the audience much more than a PowerPoint presentation does. What is more, the technology is easy to understand and identify with. The actors were immensely dedicated and skilled, so these will be proper theatre performances, but in a mini-format,” says Annika Strömdahl, project manager from Lindholmen Science Park.

ITS is high on the agenda for the Volvo Group, especially since the European Parliament and the Swedish government decided to create a strategy and a plan of action for using ITS in the transport system with the aim of increasing traffic safety and reducing environmental impact. For many years the Volvo Group has been extremely active in various international ITS research programmes, both in Europe and the USA.

The Volvo Group will demonstrate a range of different solutions on the theme of efficient and safer, more secure transport at the ITS congress. Among the ideas on display are various types of active safety system for drivers and their cargo, as well as secure and efficient new transport solutions for goods.