Robot toasters for people

NOT content with having the fastest students on Earth, Switzerland announced it will also start testing autonomous buses.

Update:
And with VW Sedric launched in the 2017 Geneva Motorshow, and the Continental Cube about to be launched at the Frankfurt show, this brings to four five six the number of toaster-shaped robot transporters being tested around the world, and all have names better suited for characters in a cartoon. 

There is the 3D printed Olli from Local Motors in Washington DC, which makers are also taking the make-it-local approach via 3D printing that we predicted in The End Of The Car Is Nearer.

The open Navia being tested in humid Singapore.

Then there is the sealed-in EZ10 in California and the open-topped Navia making the most of the breeze in humid Singapore.

The Englanf being tested Switzerland

The latest robot bus is called the Englanf and can carry about 11 passengers in comfort. The buses will not only make traffic better, but bring my prediction of locally-made transport a step closer.

Made in your town

Local Motors CEO John Rogers recently told Agence France-Presse the technology for these buses is ready and the likes of Olli can start driving itself on public roads as soon as local laws allow it.

The 3D-printed Olli from Washinton.

Rogers said Local Motors envisages hundreds of micro-factories where Ollis are 3D-printed around the world to fit local needs.

The Ez10 in California.

The Swiss bus is assembled using more conventional nuts and bolts, and initially only two buses will steer themselves through the town.

This pilot project, which is part of the Mobility Lab Sion Valais initiative, is an opportunity for EPFL researchers to test and improve their traffic and fleet-management algorithms.

The smart vehicles will be run by PostBus, Switzerland’s leading public bus operator.

They will carry up to 11 passengers at a time, at a maximum speed of 20 kilometres per hour.

The Cube

Continental, better known for tyres than algorhythms, said it actually has all the expertise needed in making sensors, algorhythms, and even interior cladding to put the Frankfurt-based company ahead in the race to make these robo-taxis. Continental plans to show the Cube at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Remote monitoring

Like the giant autonomous trucks that have been operating for years in Rio Tinto’s mines in Australia, a remote operator monitors and controls the vehicle using a software program developed by the EPFL startup BestMile.

All the pilot Englanf trips will be for mahala.

The Swiss Federal Roads Office and the Valais Roads Service carefully analysed both technical and legal considerations before green-lighting the tests. But the electric vehicles had to be brought up to spec first. This included installing air conditioning, a second battery, an access ramp for people with reduced mobility and a windshield wiper for the front window.

The researchers from EPFL’s Urban Transport Systems Laboratory said in a statement their challenge was to develop a fleet-management system that could handle the many situations that autonomous vehicles could encounter.

The vehicles must also be able to communicate with each other and with others on the road so that they can adjust their speed as necessary and respect the right-of-way.

The two-year project is supported by the Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI). It will include a reliable system for managing the specific needs of passengers, such as on-demand service, booking a ride in advance and offering flexible routes. 

The algorithms will have to be able to manage these tasks in real time, without sacrificing safety or cost efficiency. 

Once ready, the algorithms will be incorporated in the central fleet-management system.