A consortium of technology companies and transport operators is trialling enhanced all weather features for autonomous driving in Drammen, near Oslo, Norway.
The collaboration, between EasyMile, Applied Autonomy, Vy and Brakar, has deployed new software on an autonomous shuttle which has been running as Route 1 in the port and river city.
This latest software focuses on providing a reliable, and even more autonomous service for transport operators and passengers alike, with features particularly relevant to Nordic conditions including enhanced ground perception and enhanced rain and snow filtering.
The evolved features enable smoother navigation of snowbanks, grass, and pavements as well as an increase in peak speed. It also provides increased autonomy on complicated intersections in an urban environment.
The roll out in Drammen is the final phase after four months of testing in real-life environments, thousands of simulated cases and nightly code-testing, for minimal impact on the ongoing operations.
During the first phase of the project, Applied Autonomy worked closely with Vy and Brakar to establish an optimal route for the autonomous shuttle.
The company also provided expertise for designing the tests for the current roll out. A second shuttle was used during the tests in order to be able to continue running the service.
Following the completion of the first phase, EasyMile engineers are now onsite in the south-eastern city as part of the company’s certified and process-based approach to safety and quality.
Additionally, the partnership will gather feedback from the local community, end-users and the city. This will help Vy and Brakar to meet customer and regulatory requirements, while demonstrating continuous improvement.
While, EasyMile and Applied Autonomy are further using the partnership to work on autonomous logistics vehicles in all-weather conditions as part of the European funded AWARD project.
