From September 9, Saitama Institute of Technology will expand the range of the automatic driving public road demonstration experiment being conducted in Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture, and extend the experiment period by one year from the initial plan.The aim is to strengthen the experiment with the aim of further improving autonomous driving technology.
According to Saitama Institute of Technology, demonstration experiments on public roads are underway around Okabe Station on the JR Takasaki Line and the university, but after September it will be expanded to National Highway No. 9 and Fukaya Bypass, and the experiment period will be extended to the end of March 17. To the end of March 2019.
The vehicle used in the experiment is a modified Toyota Prius, which can be operated by a computer to start and stop the engine and switch shifts.Information necessary for autonomous driving is measured by various devices installed in the upper part and inside of the vehicle.
The experiment is proceeding according to the guidelines for the public road demonstration experiment compiled by the National Police Agency.The driver's seat during autonomous driving has a driver's license, and the driver who understands the autonomous driving system is always on board so that he can put his hand on the handle.
In 2016, Saitama Institute of Technology launched a next-generation automobile project as a commemorative project for the 40th anniversary of its founding, and started research on autonomous driving.In response to this, from December 2017, with the cooperation of the local city of Fukaya, we have started a demonstration experiment using public roads around the university.
While the only private university to participate in a large-scale autonomous driving demonstration experiment by the Cabinet Office, in June it established Venture Field Auto, a university-launched venture company for autonomous driving demonstration experiments.
