Unmanned transport is often associated with city streets. But now they decided to test it in more difficult conditions. At the Manzherok resort in Gorny Altai, Navio presented an autonomous shuttle. It is designed to transport passengers along specified routes and will allow testing how the AI driver copes with ascents, descents, changing weather and other road users.
How the shuttle presented in Gorny Altai is arranged
We are talking about an autonomous shuttle for transporting passengers along specified routes. It has no controls or driver's workplace, the system is controlled by an engineer.
The company explains that Manzherok was chosen as a testing ground by chance. The resort is characterized by difficult terrain, ascents, descents and a variety of climatic conditions, so here you can test the system in different scenarios, and not just in a simplified environment.
For Manzherok, an interior configuration was presented, designed to carry up to 20 passengers. The cabin has mounts for ski equipment, adaptive climate control and lighting that adapts to environmental conditions.
What does "autonomous shuttle" mean and how does it drive
An autonomous shuttle is a vehicle that drives without a regular driver behind the wheel. It follows the route, navigates the road situation and takes into account other road users.
Navio says that they use this platform to test how the AI driver behaves in a real environment.
Such machines also have a practical task. It is expected that autonomous transport will help in conditions of driver shortage, and will also allow more efficient adjustment of traffic intervals to passenger traffic. This is especially important for the resort, because the flow of people changes depending on the season, time of day and weather.