The development of autonomous vehicle technology is being carried out by various companies all over the world. Business Insider stated that Volvo, Mercedes Benz and Tesla are "almost there" in creating the perfect "driverless" auto machines. And even tech firms like Google and Apple have also began designing their own cars and all of them are already far down in their own developments.
Now, this innovation has reached Switzerland, and they are now set to release their first ‘self-driving' buses in the spring of 2016. Two autonomous buses will be added to Switzerland's public transport system.
The vehicle will sport a taxi-like appearance - yellow body and full glass panel on the sides and roof. Moreover, they were designed to accommodate only 9 people at a time.
The placement of the electric-powered transport vehicles on the road, to service people, is part of the autonomous vehicle's 2-year trial run. Officials will take note of how these types of vehicles will fare in the actual traffic.
For the start of the trial run, the two buses are going to be deployed in the tourist zones located in Sion's Old Town, Valais.
In a press release posted by BestMile, it was learned that they will be the ones to operate the vehicles throughout the testing period. The company is a start-up and formed by two graduates Rafael Gindrat and Anne Koymans of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in January 2014. They will work under PostBus, a Swiss bus company.
"The operation of autonomous vehicles in the city of Sion is only the visible part of a much more ambitious project," Rafael Gindrat said in a statement.
He further said, "The algorithms developed with the EPFL will take into consideration all the different scenarios that autonomous vehicles can find. These calculations are also looking forward to satisfy the needs of transport operators and travelers such as a flexible and reliable on-demand service. They will also be able to manage operations in real time while offering solutions at lower cost and with a minimum risk."
In a nutshell, the buses will feature innovative technology developed by BestMile. The technology will allow the vehicles to map-read the roads with precision, discern road signs and recognize obstructions while traveling.
Lastly, the operation of the buses will be done remotely. "The control fleets of autonomous vehicles in the same way a control tower does in an airport," revealed the two CEO of BestMile.
