Coming up fast - driverless car technology is racing ahead
Move over Marty McFly (of Back to the Future fame) – driverless cars are no longer the preserve of sci-fi adventure movies. Work is going on to research and expand their use within many countries including the UK.
Members of the public can now register to take part in the UK’s first public driverless vehicle trials, which are due to take place later this year.
So what are the trials all about?
The trials, which will take place in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, are part of the GATEway (Greenwich Automated Transport Environment) project - an £8m research project to investigate the use, perception and acceptance of autonomous vehicles in the UK.
Taking place in the UK Smart Mobility Living Lab @ Greenwich and led by TRL (the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory), the trials will see fully electric automated vehicles navigating their way around Greenwich.
Those selected to be part of the trials will get the chance to ride in a driverless vehicle and asked to provide their views about the experience. Some participants may also be invited to share their views in interviews before and after using a vehicle.
Why are driverless cars important?
Business Secretary Sajid Javid commented: “Making driverless cars a reality is going to revolutionise our roads and travel, making journeys safer, faster, and more environmentally-friendly. Very few countries can match our engineering excellence in the automotive sector or our record on innovative research, and this announcement shows we are already becoming one of the world’s leading centres for driverless cars technology.”
Professor Nick Reed, Director at TRL and Technical Lead of the GATEway project added: “The move to automated vehicles is probably the most significant change in transport since the transition from horse drawn carriages to motorised vehicles. Testing these vehicles in a living environment, like the UK Smart Mobility Living Lab, takes the concept from fiction to reality. It gives the public a chance to experience what it’s like to ride in an automated vehicle and to make their own mind up as to how much they like it, trust it and could accept it as a service in the city.”
As well as taking part in vehicle trials, members of the public can also register to take part in workshops to help envision the future of driverless vehicles.
For more information, or to register to be part of the trials, visit www.gateway-project.org.uk/get-involved/
Members of the public can now register to take part in the UK’s first public driverless vehicle trials, which are due to take place later this year.
So what are the trials all about?
The trials, which will take place in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, are part of the GATEway (Greenwich Automated Transport Environment) project - an £8m research project to investigate the use, perception and acceptance of autonomous vehicles in the UK.
Taking place in the UK Smart Mobility Living Lab @ Greenwich and led by TRL (the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory), the trials will see fully electric automated vehicles navigating their way around Greenwich.
Those selected to be part of the trials will get the chance to ride in a driverless vehicle and asked to provide their views about the experience. Some participants may also be invited to share their views in interviews before and after using a vehicle.
Why are driverless cars important?
Business Secretary Sajid Javid commented: “Making driverless cars a reality is going to revolutionise our roads and travel, making journeys safer, faster, and more environmentally-friendly. Very few countries can match our engineering excellence in the automotive sector or our record on innovative research, and this announcement shows we are already becoming one of the world’s leading centres for driverless cars technology.”
Professor Nick Reed, Director at TRL and Technical Lead of the GATEway project added: “The move to automated vehicles is probably the most significant change in transport since the transition from horse drawn carriages to motorised vehicles. Testing these vehicles in a living environment, like the UK Smart Mobility Living Lab, takes the concept from fiction to reality. It gives the public a chance to experience what it’s like to ride in an automated vehicle and to make their own mind up as to how much they like it, trust it and could accept it as a service in the city.”
As well as taking part in vehicle trials, members of the public can also register to take part in workshops to help envision the future of driverless vehicles.
For more information, or to register to be part of the trials, visit www.gateway-project.org.uk/get-involved/
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