They made it! Hearty congratulations are due to the Vislab Intercontinental Autonomous Challenge (VIAC) team that has successfully “driven” a pair of autonomous vehicles from Italy to Shanghai, China. The Piaggio mini-vans are equipped with a combination of laser scanners and video cameras that enabled the lead vehicle to drive autonomously while the following vehicle tracked its movements. Both vehicles were operated on public roads without a driver.
Vislab, a spin-off from the University of Parma, Italy, started the 13,000-km journey in July. Funding for the VIAC project was supplied by the European Research Council. In addition to being capable of driverless operation, the vehicles have electric powertrains.
VIAC was designed as a demonstration of the potential of vehicular robotics and its robustness over long journeys across tough terrain. While autonomous driving is unlikely to become a commercial reality in the medium-term, individual Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are becoming increasingly mainstream. SBD’s current ADAS research is looking at the market drivers for ADAS deployment including the growing importance of new vehicle safety assessments and the role of the insurance industry.
For more information on the strategic recommendations and market analysis for ADAS systems, please contact Juanita Appleby on jappleby@sbd.co.uk.
Read the Vislab press release