Moises Capsule: an alternative transportation exploiting ocean currents

Resumen

The South American territory of Chile is characterized by its narrowness and length totaling more than 6435 kilometers of coastline. Ground transportation along this strip of land is mostly done by a monopoly road, with conspicuous absence of railway alternatives to the north. Therefore, the use of these land routes increases both private and social costs. Tolls, deteriorating pavement folders, traffic jams, and carbon footprint are some costs incurred in land transport. However, parallel to the country, along the coasts the Humboldt Current flows, which due to its regularity can serve as a conveyor belt. Considering this natural way, the project proposes to send goods left over in the south to the north where they are in deficit. Indeed, even when the speed of the current is slow, scheduled shipments water and other forestry and agricultural goods to the north can be an attractive solution. This non-motorized transport northward implies three challenges: 1) characterizing the Humboldt Current with its spatio-temporal variability, 2) automated devices for channeling ships and 3) materiality of the vessels that once made transport, they themselves can be used for other purposes.