Saitama Institute of Technology has started the development of the first private university's self-driving bus that can run on public roads, released the latest development status on August 2019, 8, and held a test drive event.
In December 2017, the university started the first demonstration experiment of autonomous driving on public roads in Saitama Prefecture in Fukaya City. In April 12, the "Autonomous Driving Technology Development Center" was established as a university-wide research organization for autonomous driving technology, and research and development for the practical application of autonomous driving was strengthened.
This time, the experimental vehicle developed with the full cooperation of Mikuni Life & Auto Co., Ltd. is based on the microbus "Liesse II" and is equipped with "autonomous driving AI (AI Pilot / Autoware ™)".By deep learning the image information of the rider and the camera, it is possible to recognize the surrounding environment with AI and avoid obstacles when driving.Aim to drive not only on bus lanes and specific courses with restricted driving, but also on public roads in urban areas.
This development has been adopted for the 2019 "Saitama Prefecture Smart Mobility Demonstration Subsidy" (theme: experimental vehicle for autonomous driving buses that can run on public roads and commercialization and commercialization of AI). Accelerate.In the future, we are planning a demonstration experiment on public roads in the local area of the university, and we will proceed with studies for practical use and commercialization.