WATERLOO – The University of Waterloo has begun showcasing a new driverless, autonomous shuttle research program that will transport students and staff around campus (above).
The demonstration of the shuttle, dubbed “WATonoBus” by the research team, is the first of its kind at a Canadian academic institution, reads a press release, and marks a significant milestone in a multi-year initiative to demonstrate and integrate autonomous transportation onto the campus.
The shuttle is “the first in the country to operate remotely over Rogers 5G network, thanks to a Rogers partnership agreement with the University to advance 5G research in the Toronto-Waterloo tech-corridor,” reads the release. This past September it lit up the university’s 5G smart campus to support researchers developing 5G applications and use cases in a real-world setting.
The shuttle has a five-stop, 2.7-kilometre journey around the Waterloo main campus, intersecting with the campus light rail transit stop and the technology includes an integrated on-board sensor system providing vehicle intelligence and control; a suite of front, rear and side cameras providing a 360-degree view; light detection and ranging (LIDAR) active remote sensing systems used for detecting objects; and a WATonoBus smartphone app to help passengers navigate the campus using the shuttle.
“We are thrilled not only about WATonoBus, but what it represents,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur, the university’s president and vice-chancellor. “By marrying transformational research, infrastructure and a network of industry and government partnerships, we are demonstrating that educational institutions will help shape the future – in this case, the convergence of public transportation and smart urban mobility.”
The driverless shuttle has remote takeover capability and will showcase a full-system approach, developed entirely at the University of Waterloo, led by Professor Amir Khajepour and a team of over 20 researchers in the Mechatronic Vehicle Systems Laboratory. Funding support has been provided by federal and provincial partners, as well as contributions from Applanix, RoboSense AI, and Rogers.
Since lighting up the campus with 5G last year, Rogers has also added next generation network technology and capabilities that will enable more intelligent and complex use cases and applications, including 5G mmWave (28GHz) small cells on campus, both inside buildings and outdoors, providing ultra-low latency and high bandwidth to support a variety of 5G research projects underway at the University, adds the release.
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