Singapore came out on the streets of the world’s first autonomous taxi – Banker

              On the streets of Singapore came out on Thursday, the world’s first autonomous taxi. Selected customers can now order free rides via smartphones – informs startup nuTonomy, which is responsible for the project.
           

 
 
 

For now, the streets of Singapore will ride the six autonomous taxis offering free rides. By the end of the year, this number is to be doubled – promise representatives nuTonomy. They stress that their aim is to create a fully autonomous fleet until 2018, making it possible to reduce the number of cars on congested local roads.

 

At the beginning of the taxis will move in the area including district business and residential “one-north”, which is approx. 8 km square. Customers will be able to drive only to and from specific points. The restrictions will be subject to a group of persons entitled to hold the first free courses – nuTonomy will send them a special invitation. According to estimates of the company is a few dozen people.
 

Startup nuTonomy reported that their taxis are modified versions of the electric Renault Zoe and Mitsubishi i-MiEV. What is important – the passengers will ride the driver who at any time will be able to take control of the car. Vehicles are equipped with systems to detect obstacles based, among others, the laser and the camera, which analyzes not only the environment around the vehicle, but also to monitor the traffic lights and signs.

 

Head nuTonomy Karl Iagnemma announced that the company plans to launch in the future similar projects in other Asian cities – for the time being, however, it does not provide details. While another company representative Doug Parker estimated that the introduction of the streets of Singapore autonomous taxis will reduce the number of cars on local roads with 300-900 thousand.

 

“The withdrawal of the roads as many vehicles creates new opportunities. You can eg. Build smaller streets or parking lots. I think that this will affect at all on the way of associating the people of the city” – said Parker.

 

Startup nuTonomy employs 50 people and has offices in the US state of Massachusetts and in Singapore. The company was founded in 2013 by Iagnemma and Emilio Frazzoliniego – former employees of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Both dealt with there work on robotics and autonomous driving technology. The permit for the project autonomous taxi obtained from the Singapore authorities earlier this year.

 

As he explains, the Associated Press Singapore is the “ideal” place to project implementation with the participation of autonomous cars. There prevail stable weather conditions, and the state the city has an extensive road infrastructure, and the men of drivers respect the rules.
 

In a few weeks with a similar project is planned to move Uber in the US city of Pittsburgh. Its autonomous cars on road conditions from a few years testing also eg. Google and Volvo. (PAP)

 

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