SWEDEN
On 28 October, Keolis and its partners Ericsson, Telia, Urban ICT Arena, Intel and Tengineering tested a 5G-connected, remotely monitored autonomous electric minibus at Kista Science Centre in Stockholm. Supported by an internal artificial intelligence (AI) system that detects passengers’ well-being and behaviour, the demonstration explored how real-time data from inside the autonomous vehicle can be transmitted to the centralised supervision centre and how, in return, the vehicle responds to its commands with the support of an AI system and extremely high 5G network data speeds. The data, collected by cameras, includes counting passengers and tracking items left behind on the bus, with passengers informed they have left something behind using external microphones. The system also detects ‘abnormal’ passenger behaviour and informs the supervision centre, such as if someone is not feeling well.
Keolis and its Swedish partners plan to start running trials without a safety driver on board at the end of 2022 or early 2023. The vehicle, equipped with self-driving technology, is provided by the Swedish technology firm Tengineering.
Bernard Tabary, CEO International at Keolis: “Enhancing everyday lives by making shared mobility smarter and more sustainable is essential for the future of public transport. As we move towards fully autonomous driving, our demonstration in Stockholm represents an important new step by integrating AI detection sensors to create a safe, comfortable passenger experience. We are extremely pleased with this new development in autonomous driving with our partners in Sweden, following successful trials over the past year.”
