Singapore Launches First Driverless Vehicles for Public

Researchers and engineers from the Singapore — MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) are deploying two driverless vehicles, free‑of‑charge, for public use. They will feature vehicle‑to‑vehicle communications that will allow each vehicle to know where the other vehicle is.

The steering wheel has been removed and replaced with an in-vehicle touchscreen for selection of destination.

Trial results will be used to better understand the potential opportunities and challenges that autonomous vehicle (AV) technology has for Singapore. The trial also aims to generate awareness of AVs, as well as to help refine aspects of the vehicle based on public feedback.

The vehicles can ferry up to 3 passengers per trip, and will be closely monitored by the team. Moving forward, the research team aims to further improve how the vehicle’s path interacts with pedestrians, how the vehicle conveys its intentions to pedestrians, and how multiple vehicles can be used more efficiently.

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