British driverless vehicle technology company Aurrigo has announced its participation in the European Union (EU)-funded ‘Living Lab for Autonomous Public Transport Project’ (LivingLAPT).
The project, being led by University College London (UCL), involves Aurrigo’s Auto-Shuttle vehicles running with a safety driver on board, while developing toward a goal of using remote supervisor monitoring in public transportation.
LivingLAPT is running across the European cities Prague, Brno and Milton Keynes and is being conducted in collaboration with industry, operators, cities and University College London (UCL) as the project leader.
Bani Anvari, professor of intelligent mobility at UCL, said: “LivingLAPT will deliver sustainable driverless shuttle and logistics services among various European cities by phasing out the need for safety drivers in shuttles and moving towards remote operators who overlook a number of services simultaneously.”
By removing the safety driver from the vehicle and using remote supervision, the project aims to build trust in autonomous driving, through a robust transnational safety framework as well as promoting user acceptance.
What’s more, by working with multiple cities in more than one country, the participants aim to gain experience from different street layouts, road conditions and public attitudes to autonomy.
This phase of the project will also examine integration with trip planning applications used in those cities.
Aurrigo Auto-Shuttles possess lidar and cameras, which provide a 3D, all-weather view of its surroundings for improved safety and efficiency.
David Keen, CEO of Aurrigo, said: “This is the first Auto-Shuttle deployment in mainland Europe for Aurrigo, and we are delighted to be working with such a prestigious group of partners to move towards this important step in autonomous public transport.
“The medieval, cobbled streets of Prague, built before cars or buses were dreamt of, are in stark contrast to the modern roads of Milton Keynes, which shows the importance of testing in multiple cities.”
Some 90% of Aurrigo’s funding for the programme is being provided by the EU European Institute of Innovation and Technology, with 10% coming from the company.
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