First driverless vehicles for public launched in Singapore

This is the first time, not one, but two driverless vehicles are being deployed, free-of-charge for public use. Visitors can obtain Mobility-on-Demand (MoD) by booking any of these vehicles via the online booking website. From this website, commuters can monitor the locations of the vehicles. The buggies will also feature vehicle-to-vehicle communications that will allow each vehicle to know where the other vehicle is. This allows the buggies to know if there is a possibility of overlapping paths, and for each buggy to intelligently determine how best to move so as to improve the overall efficiency of the fleet.

The driverless buggy trial is part of the Smart and Connected JLD Pilots and Trials initiative, which was launched by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), in collaboration with URA, EDB and other government agencies such as BCA, HDB, JTC, LTA, NEA, NLB, NParks and SLA. LTA and its partners will use the trial results to better understand the potential opportunities and challenges that autonomous vehicle (AV) technology has for Singapore, and how it can be shaped to suit our needs. The trial also aims to generate awareness of AVs, as well as to help refine the comfort and other aspects of the vehicle based on public feedback.

Dubbed DJ (Driverless Jockey) and BX (Buggy Xtreme), these two golf buggies which have been fitted with no more than $30,000 worth of technology, are set to ferry up to 3 passengers per trip. Travelling up to a driverless speed of 10km/h, DJ and BX will ply the footpaths of the 26.5ha gardens (size of 26 football pitches) from 8am to 2pm from Thursday to Saturday, starting 23 Oct, 2014.The SMART-NUS team targets to fulfil 100 trips within this period and will consolidate feedback to improve the driverless mobility experience.

SMART Project Lead, Dr James Fu said: "Operationally, these autonomous buggies will be closely monitored by the team throughout the whole deployment. Our researchers will shadow the movements of the buggies on electric bicycles. This is to provide an additional level of safety as well as to provide passengers with further elaboration on our research work should any queries arise. This public deployment is very useful to our continued research work as we will not only be gaining invaluable feedback from the public but to also further identify any other limitations of our system through the prolonged deployment."

NUS collaborator from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Associate Prof Marcelo Ang said: "Having tested the SMART-NUS buggies at the NUS campus for close to four years, we are confident that these buggies will provide the public a safe and comfortable journey within the park. Mobility should be available to all -- the elderly, young, or the disabled. We hope that the public will see the usefulness of these vehicles as a possible solution to the 'first-and-last mile' problem, and be comfortable with the idea that such driverless cars can co-exist with pedestrian traffic."

MIT Lead Investigator, Prof Emilio Frazzoli said: "It is very impressive to see the pace in which Singapore is exploring how self-driving vehicles can be used for urban mobility. At the moment, few countries are taking the bold step to consider self-driving vehicles into its eco-system."

With the advancement of autonomous technology, driverless vehicles may soon be a reality in enhancing the lives of Singaporeans. This trial hopes to be a precursor to a new paradigm shift in how we understand transportation, and more specifically, how a disruptive mode of transportation can be a direct positive impact to the people in Singapore.

Moving forward, the research team aims to further improve how the vehicle's path interacts with pedestrian predicted intentions, how the vehicle is able to convey its own intentions to pedestrians, and how multiple vehicles can be used more efficiently. The research is funded by the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister's Office, Singapore under its Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE) programme.