The first company to get permission from the government of Singapore to test self-driving cars, nuTonomy is a software developer set up in 2013 by two researchers from MIT who specialise in robotics.
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Various companies, including Google, Volvo and Tesla, have been experimenting for some years with self-driving vehicles. It will beat ride-hailing service Uber, which prepares to provide rides in autonomous cars in Pittsburgh, by a few weeks. But this new scheme is operated by a relatively-unknown autonomous vehicle software startup called nuTonomy. That said, the company has revealed that these trial rides are still on an ongoing basis and follows private testing that began early this year, in April 2016. Singapore, the company says, is ideal because it has good weather, good infrastructure, and drivers that tend to obey traffic rules.
The cars that are now in use, which are modified Renault Zoe and Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric units, have a driver in the front as well as a researcher in the back. A driver will be seated in the front of the vehicle, ready to take control if anything goes wrong.
The ultimate goal, say nuTonomy officials, is to have a fully self-driving taxi fleet in Singapore by 2018, which will help to sharply cut the number of cars on Singapore’s congested roads.
According to reports, the taxis are now running in a 2.5-square-mile business and residential district called “one-north”.
Oh, and you’ll need an invite to use it, too – so it’s not really open to the public.
Singapore, Aug 26 (Agencies): The first driverless taxi began work on Thursday in a limited public trial on the streets of Singapore. Eventually, riders may start paying for the service, and more pick-up and drop-off points will be added.
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NuTonomy also is working on testing similar taxi services in other Asian cities as well as in the U.S. and Europe, but he wouldn’t say when. Owning your own auto is mind-bogglingly expensive and many people take taxis on a regular basis. “I think it will change how people interact with the city going forward”.
