Tests for a self-contained bus of conventional size have started at a warehouse located in Manchester, England. The project uses a single-story bus that can operate autonomously within the grounds of the Sharston deposit, the Stagecoach group said in a statement earlier this week. In addition, using this autonomous technology, the bus is capable of maneuvers that include parking and moving to a washing area.
“This is an exciting project to test autonomous technology on a conventionally sized bus for the first time in the UK,” Martin Griffiths, executive director of Stagecoach, said in a statement.
Stagecoach has partnered with bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis Limited and technology firm Fusion Processing to carry out the project. The system used by the bus is CAVstar from Fusion Processing. It is composed of several sensors, including radars, ultrasound and optical cameras. It also has intrinsic a satellite navigation system that is used to detect and avoid obstacles.
The system in the pilot vehicle is expected to help provide the basis for an upcoming test in which five autonomous buses will be used to transport passengers between Fife and Edinburgh, Scotland.
SAE International, a global association of more than 128,000 engineers, has come to differentiate between five “levels” of driving automation and has indicated that in Level 5, the automatic driving characteristics of a vehicle are total and can be driven anywhere. condition. Therefore, Stagecoach assured that the buses will reach level 4 autonomy, which means that a safety driver will have to be on board to comply with the regulations of the United Kingdom.
Fusion Processing CEO Jim Hutchinson said the company’s CAVstar system had now been used in a range of vehicles, including two-seater electric cars and 12-meter, 43-seat buses.