Tag: autonomous vehicles
Westfield trials autonomous POD vehicle in the Lake District
West Midlands based firm Westfield Technology, best known for its niche sports cars, is trialling an autonomous vehicle in the Lake District in what it's claiming is a huge breakthrough for driverless travel. The pod, designed and built in the UK, is currently running at Brockhole Visitor Centre, near Windermere and doesn’t feature a safety…
Ocado to roll out autonomous vehicles for grocery delivery
Online grocery shopping company Ocado has announced a partnership with Oxbotica to collaborate on deploying autonomous vehicles for use in its customer fulfilment centre (CFC), as well as last-mile deliveries and even kerb to kitchen robots. The Ocado/Oxbotica relationship began in 2017, when it conducted a two-week trial using an early prototype delivery vehicle doing…
Only 1 in 4 trust driverless cars, suggests survey
Motorists are not ready to take their hands off the wheel and surrender control to driverless cars, research by the AA suggests. The British motoring association has found that while many people see the benefits, such as improved mobility for the elderly and disabled, the cultural attachment to cars is stronger than technology and the…
Department of Transport agrees programme for autonomous vehicles
A programme to help create industry standards for autonomous vehicles has been unveiled in the hope of accelerating the successful rollout of self-driving cars in the UK. The scheme has been launched by the Department for Transport, alongside the British Standards Institution (BSI), the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, and industry groups Innovate UK…
Driverless cars can work together to keep traffic moving, research finds
A fleet of driverless cars working together to keep traffic moving smoothly could improve overall vehicle flow by at least a third, a study using scale models has shown. A team of researchers at Cambridge University programmed 16 miniature robotic cars to drive around a two-lane track and observed how the traffic flow changed when…
Self-driving truck trialled on A14 in a bid to speed up UK roadworks
A self-driving 25-tonne dumper truck is being trialled in a bid to speed up UK roadworks. The vehicle, which can carry a 40-tonne load, has been fitted with gadgets originally developed for autonomous trucks in Australian mines, including a laser light unit to spot objects in its way. It is being tested off the A14…
CES 2019: What to expect from the annual Las Vegas technology show
Some of the world’s biggest technology companies will gather in Las Vegas next week to unveil their latest innovations at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The annual convention will see the likes of Sony, Samsung, LG and others announce new gadgets, while topics such as artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles and 5G connectivity are expected to…
UK Government announces £25 million for autonomous vehicle trials in London and Edinburgh
Business Secretary Greg Clark is shown an autonomous car by Professor Pal Newman at Oxbotica (Aaron Chown/PA) Autonomous vehicle trials serving London and Edinburgh have received a funding boost from the Government as the UK ramps up its self-driving ambitions. Three pilots have been announced, ranging from self-driving taxis to…
How does an autonomous vehicle learn to avoid pedestrians and other obstacles?
Above: The Kar-Go from the Academy of Robotics - an autonomous delivery vehicle designed to reduce the last-mile costs associated with deliveries. Guest writer William Sachiti from the Academy of Robotics explains how autonomous vehicles are able to navigate around obstacles and avoid pedestrians... To teach an autonomous vehicle to…
10 surprising ways that driverless cars could change the world
With driverless, or autonomous, cars set to arrive on UK roads by 2021 according to the government, they are predicted to change the face of personal mobility forever. Undoubtedly, they'll make our roads safer, give us more free time and make our journeys faster. But what are the less predictable consequences of driverless cars? Select…