Reimagining the Future of Olympic Mobility – Autonomous RoboBus System

Overview

This VRES project will challenge 1-2 high-performing Industrial Design student/s to envision a future mobility service for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, using the PIX Moving RoboBus as the foundation for a next-generation autonomous transport ecosystem. The PIX RoboBus is a modular, Level 4 autonomous shuttle designed for short-distance, last-mile mobility with highly configurable interiors and a strong focus on creating "moving spaces" rather than simply moving vehicles. It has been conceived for applications such as campus transport, tourism, retail, and community mobility, making it an ideal platform for exploring novel applications within the Olympic ecosystem.

Rather than redesigning the exterior of the vehicle itself, the project will focus on designing an integrated mobility service and user experience interior space that responds to the unique transport demands of a global sporting event. Students will investigate how autonomous RoboBus fleets could support athlete, spectator, volunteer, media, and accessibility journeys before, during, and after the Games, while contributing to a lasting transport legacy for Brisbane. The project should consider service design, user experience, digital interactions, wayfinding, accessibility, infrastructure integration, and operational scenarios, culminating in a compelling future mobility vision supported by high-quality industrial design visualisation and communication.

The outcome will be a resolved concept demonstrating how autonomous mobility can create a more connected, inclusive, and memorable Olympic transport experience while showcasing the student's capability in systems thinking, innovation and future mobility.

Research engagement

Literature Review, Competitor Benchmarking, Survey Design and Deployment, Academic Writing, Design Conceptualisation and Development

Research activities

The student/s will undertake a range of research and design activities that support the development of a future Olympic autonomous mobility service concept. This will include conducting a literature review to establish the current state of knowledge in autonomous mobility, service design, and Olympic (mega-events) transport systems; competitor benchmarking of existing autonomous shuttle platforms and mobility services; designing and deploying a survey to gather user insights and inform design decision-making; contributing to academic writing and the documentation of research findings through a research paper draft; and developing and refining future mobility concepts through iterative design conceptualisation and visualisation.

Throughout the project, the student/s will work closely with an experienced multidisciplinary academic team and will have opportunities to engage with industry partners from PIX Moving, as well as mobility and transport experts from the Queensland Government and QUT's Olympic research network.

Research skills

Research Ethics, Literature Review, Survey Design, Expert Interviews, Mobility and Transport Design

Outcomes

By the completion of the project, the student/s will have developed a portfolio of research and design outputs, including:

• A literature review examining autonomous mobility, user-centred mobility systems, and Olympic transport systems
• A competitor benchmarking study of existing autonomous shuttle platforms and mobility services , speciallly those for mega-events
• Deployment, and analysis of a user survey and/or stakeholder interviews to inform the project direction.
• A draft academic research paper suitable for further development towards publication.
• A future-focused mobility service concept for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• A final presentation including design concept, supported by high-quality visualisations, renderings, and communication material.

(Although you will be involved in all of the above aspects, there will be support from the academic supervision team throughout).

Collectively, these outcomes will provide the student/s with experience across the complete research and design process - from academic investigation and user research through to concept generation, professional visualisation, and research dissemination - while contributing to QUT's broader research in future mobility and Olympic transport systems.

Skills and experience

This project is suited to highly motivated and high-performing Industrial Design student/s with a strong interest in future mobility, transportation systems, and human-centred design. The successful candidate should be curious, proactive, and capable of working both independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary research environment.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Strong industrial design, visualisation, and concept development skills.
• An interest in autonomous vehicles, mobility systems, or service design.
• Excellent communication and presentation abilities.
• A willingness to engage with academic research, including literature reviews and user research.
• High levels of initiative, organisation, and professionalism.

An interest in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, accessibility, and future transport systems would be highly regarded. Although not a necessity, the project is ideal for a student considering future postgraduate research, or a career in advanced mobility, transportation design, or strategic design consultancy.

Start date

2 November, 2026

End date

19 February, 2027

Location

QUT Kelvin Grove

Additional information

This project is supported by industry partners working at the forefront of autonomous mobility, providing students with exposure to emerging technologies and real-world mobility challenges. It is also supported by an experienced academic team with an established research focus on future mobility and transport systems. Further, throughout the project, student/s will have opportunities to engage with an extended network of design, transport planning, mobility, and government experts who will provide feedback, insights, and guidance as the research and design concepts evolve.

Keywords

• Future Mobility
• Autonomous Vehicles
• Olympic Transport Systems

Contact

Associate Professor Rafael Gomez

+61 412 933 885

r.gomez@qut.edu.au