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An Inside Look: Trials of the SMART Autonomous Vehicle in One-North

An Inside Look: Trials of the SMART Autonomous Vehicle in One-North

This week, OpenGov had the chance to talk to the team behind the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Autonomous Vehicle Trials in One-North. We were lucky enough to sit in the passenger seat of SCOT, Shared Computer-Operated Transit vehicle.

The development of SCOT comes out of the SMART Interdisciplinary Research Group for Future Urban Mobility.

The objective of this research project is to allow a fleet of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) to provide Mobility-on-Demand (MoD) which will complement the existing transportation system, so as to reduce the overall commuting time by solving the “first-and-last-mile” problem.

This solution will thus reduce the traveling time from the starting location (for example, commuter’s house) to the start of the transportation network (for example, MRT station) and reduce the traveling time from the end of the transportation network to the final destination (for example, commuter’s workplace).

The research integrates existing technologies with fresh methodologies to allow driverless vehicles to intelligently provide MoD, with the goal of making this future transportation paradigm a reality. A self-driving electric car is used to demonstrate the MoD system.

The self-driving car has been operational since January 2014, while similar challenges have been tested on self-driving golf buggies on NUS campus since 2011. 

Since last year, the group has been permitted by LTA to run trials of SCOT throughout One-North. However, in this trial period, it has been mandated there must be a person behind the wheel of the car.

How does an autonomous vehicle work exactly?

After overcoming the shock of being able to ride such a vehicle, we had one of the team’s researchers explain all the functions and quirks of the SCOT.

The steering, braking, and throttle was controlled by SCOT- all on its own. Manual control can override the autonomous control, with a flick of a switch.

On board the SCOT, you will see the steering wheel is fixed with steering motors with a gear and sprocket to control the steering. There are motors which spin levers attached to pedals which will control the throttle and brake.

In the front of the vehicle, there are laser range sensors for obstacle detection, sensors for mapping and localisation, and other sensors that they are using for benchmarking.

The computer rests in the trunk of the vehicle which holds the mapping, circuit breakers to protect sensors, and the power distribution system.

PARTNER

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

PARTNER

CTC Global Singapore, a premier end-to-end IT solutions provider, is a fully owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ITOCHU Corporation.

Since 1972, CTC has established itself as one of the country’s top IT solutions providers. With 50 years of experience, headed by an experienced management team and staffed by over 200 qualified IT professionals, we support organizations with integrated IT solutions expertise in Autonomous IT, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Workplace Modernization and Professional Services.

Well-known for our strengths in system integration and consultation, CTC Global proves to be the preferred IT outsourcing destination for organizations all over Singapore today.

PARTNER

Planview has one mission: to build the future of connected work. Our solutions enable organizations to connect the business from ideas to impact, empowering companies to accelerate the achievement of what matters most. Planview’s full spectrum of Portfolio Management and Work Management solutions creates an organizational focus on the strategic outcomes that matter and empowers teams to deliver their best work, no matter how they work. The comprehensive Planview platform and enterprise success model enables customers to deliver innovative, competitive products, services, and customer experiences. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with locations around the world, Planview has more than 1,300 employees supporting 4,500 customers and 2.6 million users worldwide. For more information, visit www.planview.com.

SUPPORTING ORGANISATION

SIRIM is a premier industrial research and technology organisation in Malaysia, wholly-owned by the Minister​ of Finance Incorporated. With over forty years of experience and expertise, SIRIM is mandated as the machinery for research and technology development, and the national champion of quality. SIRIM has always played a major role in the development of the country’s private sector. By tapping into our expertise and knowledge base, we focus on developing new technologies and improvements in the manufacturing, technology and services sectors. We nurture Small Medium Enterprises (SME) growth with solutions for technology penetration and upgrading, making it an ideal technology partner for SMEs.

PARTNER

HashiCorp provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments, enabling enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure. HashiCorp tools allow organizations to deliver applications faster by helping enterprises transition from manual processes and ITIL practices to self-service automation and DevOps practices. 

PARTNER

IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

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