AEM Announces 'Build' Phase Finalists in Infrastructure Competition

MILWAUKEE, Wis., Jan. 31, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) announced the five finalists in the "Build" phase of the Infrastructure Vision 2050 Challenge, an incentivized competition launched by the trade association to solicit groundbreaking ideas and solutions that address some of the principle challenges facing the country's infrastructure. The third and final phase of the competition, referred to as the "Build" phase, launched in July 2016 and solicited ideas for how to create a transportation system for the United States that will meet the needs of all users in the year 2050 and beyond. 

The five "Build" phase finalists are:

• Micheal Ahimbisibwe, Kampala, Uganda – Direct Drive System: An intelligible road infrastructure concept
• Baiyu Chen & Anthony Barrs, Berkeley, CA – Hyperlane: A convergence of two transportation modes: the car and the train
• Kevin Lu, Oakland, CA – Beyond Static Pavement: A unique approach that adapts highways to fit 10x more cars for one percent of the costs
• Jeremy Martinez, Los Angeles, CA – Monorail 2050: Monorail trains that efficiently connect transit hubs hosting retail and residential spaces
• Peter Muller, Franktown, CO – Transportation Infrastructure Reinvented: A network of lightweight guideways that interconnect small stations, loading/offloading facilities and streets

"Through the Infrastructure Vision 2050 Challenge, AEM turned to the world's grassroots innovators for ideas on how we can fix our country's infrastructure," said AEM President Dennis Slater. "We want to thank all 42 competitors for their innovative and revolutionary solutions. Infrastructure is an important topic both for the Trump administration and our elected officials, and this Challenge demonstrates that solutions to our infrastructure problems can come from both inside and outside of Washington, DC."

The five "Build" phase finalists will compete for cash prizes at a live finale event held on site at the construction industry trade show, CONEXPO-CON/AGG, in Las Vegas, NV on March 8, 2017 at 9:30 am. Competitors will pitch their transportation concepts to a panel of three judges with technology, infrastructure and transportation backgrounds. Their submissions and proof of concepts will be on display for the duration of the show in the Tech Experience, a new exhibit space that highlights future trends in infrastructure and construction technology.

Launched in January, the three-phased incentivized competition challenged a global community of innovators to think in aspirational and disruptive ways about how to reimagine personal mobility, freight movement, and utility infrastructure components and systems in the United States.

The Infrastructure Vision 2050 Challenge is part of a larger policy-focused thought-leadership initiative launched by AEM in 2015 to develop a long-term national vision for United States infrastructure.

About the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) - www.aem.org 

AEM is the North American-based international trade group providing innovative business development resources to advance the off-road equipment manufacturing industry in the global marketplace. AEM membership comprises more than 950 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture, construction, forestry, mining and utility sectors worldwide. AEM is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with offices in the world capitals of Washington, D.C.; Ottawa, Canada; and Beijing, China.

Media Contact:
Kate Fox Wood
202-898-9066
[email protected]

SOURCE Association of Equipment Manufacturers

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