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Milton Keynes secures £1m for drone project
The UK city’s council will work with partners to test and trial new drone-based services that work alongside current delivery services and autonomous vehicles.
Milton Keynes City Council has secured £1m of government funding to develop and deploy drones that could speed the delivery of medicines, ease road congestion and reduce carbon emissions globally.
The UK city’s council will work with Cranfield University’s Drone Innovation Hub and Satellite Applications Catapult Westcott DronePort to test and trial new drone-based services that work alongside current delivery services and autonomous vehicles.
Drone technologies
The project includes smart traffic monitoring, secure parcel deliveries, remote building inspections and the transfer of vital medical supplies as part of an emergency response. Real-time information sharing through drone technologies will allow several services to work together and act faster when responding to incidents. Integrating ground and air-based services can also reduce carbon emissions.
“We’re proud to be hosting yet another trial to test future technologies in MK which will build on our reputation as a world leading smart city,” said Pete Marland, leader of MK Council.
“This report further emphasises that we’re a world-leading smart city and a place that empowers businesses that will provide jobs of the future for local people”
“The technologies have the potential to bring practical benefits to help people in everyday life and in time critical emergencies. If the trials are successful it will also help us meet our climate action ambitions and create new jobs of the future for local people.”
Milton Keynes has built a strong reputation as a world leader in future technologies and this latest trial will help create more high-tech jobs for local people. A new study from Centre for Cities reports it is one of the best places in the country for businesses specialising in new technologies and industries of the future.
Read More
At the frontier: The geography of the UK’s new economy report maps out the best places for new and emerging technologies to be based and the drivers behind their locations. The “new economy” is defined as 47 technologically advanced sectors – made up of both services and manufacturing businesses, including robotics and autonomous vehicles.
The report states that Milton Keynes is among the most attractive places for new economy businesses with more than 30 firms in the future technologies sector per 10,000 working-age residents. According to the report, cities like Milton Keynes that are attractive to one type of new economy business tend to draw others in, too.
The city council also announced that four South Korean start-up companies specialising in future sustainable transport have chosen Milton Keynes to trial their products.
“This report further emphasises that we’re a world-leading smart city and a place that empowers businesses that will provide jobs of the future for local people,” said Marland. “We’re ready to take on the challenge and support businesses looking to make a real difference for our communities and grow the local economy. We’ve got really big ambitions for our city which is backed up by this report, but we can’t be complacent.
“We’re determined to make MK an even more attractive place to do business, so we can secure good and well-paid jobs for local people while growing our economy in a fair, green and sustainable way.”
Why not try these links to see what our SmartCitiesWorld AI can tell you.
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How can drone deliveries reduce road congestion in Milton Keynes?What role do autonomous vehicles play alongside drone-based services?How will real-time drone data improve emergency medical supply transfers?In what ways can drone technology contribute to lowering carbon emissions?How does Milton Keynes attract future technology businesses and startups?
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