Self-driving technology is set to be trialed on the streets of Coventry and the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham in the United Kingdom as part of a project led by Conigital and Coventry University. The Multi-Area Connected Automated Mobility (MACAM) initiative is expected to cost £15.2m ($18.4m) and will be carried out over the next 18 months.
The project is a collaboration between Coventry City Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Warwick Manufacturing Group, dRisk, IPG Automotive UK, Direct Line Group, and the NEC. Coventry University will be responsible for developing strategies that ensure the safe and efficient operation of self-driving vehicles across multiple locations using a 5G-based remote monitoring and tele-operation (RMTO) service.
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The university will also use self-driving light vans to operate an internal mail service across its city-center locations, with an aim to eventually operate unmanned vehicles. Coventry University is leveraging its expertise in cybersecurity and human factors to ensure that the vehicles function safely and reliably. The aim is to demonstrate that self-driving technology is ready for commercial use.
“We want to explore the human factors involved and how control of a vehicle is passed over to an operator at specific points in a journey, for example where there may be a particularly difficult section of a trip that needs negotiating. We want to show this technology works within real-world settings, not just on a test track,” commented Professor Stewart Birrell, professor of human factors for future transport at Coventry University.
The MACAM project is one of several self-driving technology projects to have received a share of £81m ($98m) in funding from the UK government and private industry as part of the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles connected and automated mobility program. With this initiative, the UK is making a significant investment in the development of self-driving technology, paving the way for a future of safe and efficient autonomous transportation.
