The future of human transport could come from a new building in the UK, with the launch of a centre aimed at catapulting mobility into a new era.

The Imovation Centre has opened its doors and is beginning work to improve the efficiency, communication, range and possibilities of public and private transport.

The new facility will bring together collaborators including academics, technologists and entrepreneurs to get exciting new ideas off the ground.

The Centre is hosting the Imagine Festival to launch some of these ideas, ranging from the handy to the totally bizarre.

One project currently being undertaken at the centre may provide a way for the endless complaints about public transport to help improve the system.

“Sentiment mapping” software will track the emotions of drivers and passengers via social media, and present providers with ways to identify and respond the needs of customers during good service, breakdowns and delays.

The algorithms and processes may even be able to anticipate commuters’ reactions and provide targeted assistance in advance.

“The whole transport sector is increasingly good at using every kind of technology, from posters to digital media to social media, to send information to passengers, but [is] not necessarily very good at finding out what the passenger experience is like,” project leader Dr Stephen Boyd Davis from the Royal College of Arts, told The Guardian.

“The main aim of the sentiment mapping project is to find out what passengers are thinking and feeling – and to locate that in both time and place so that the information is actually useful and usable.”

One project is looking at designing an entire transport network specifically for ferrying stem cells to laboratories and hospitals when they are needed most.

Traffic lights are one old institution that the new site may look to re-invent.

Researchers say there will be some potential for integrating GPS technology, phones and in-car computer systems to improve traffic flow and reduce costs.

Most excitingly for the everyday futurist are the first real-world tests of “LUTZ Pathfinder pods”; small self-driving pods to carry up two passengers around metropolitan areas at a top speed of around 12 kilometres per hour.

The automated pods are designed for use on roads, small lanes, pavements and pathways. The people behind the project hope to increase the mobility options available to the public, while also reducing congestion and carbon emissions.

Engineers at the British RDM Group have been selected to bring the pods to life.

The company will construct the pods to be controlled by a human for their first iteration, leaving automatic control until any safety issues are worked out.

RDM is expected to complete its production of pilot vehicles by the end of this year, with Oxford University robotics experts looking to conduct test-track trials in early 2015.