AutoBus

In passenger transport, efficiency increases and CO2 savings can be achieved through mobility offers that are configured as electrified pooling or sharing offers. For reasons of economy, however, autonomous vehicles that operate without a safety driver on board are necessary in the future. It is e. g. estimated that the use of autonomous vehicles can reduce the costs of public transport companies by up to 60%.
As part of the research project, an autonomous minibus (max. 10 seats) will be set up to be used for the “last mile” (for example, from the public transport bus stop to an apartment, doctor or shopping center). The minibus should essentially navigate autonomously through pedestrian zones. On the one hand, the system must come to a standstill in a critical situation (less than 50 cm braking distance at 6 km/h), on the other hand, it must also be able to navigate quickly through a crowd. Therefore, suitable interaction strategies must be developed. The system should be validated on a test track around the TU Kaiserslautern. A control center should be connected via 5G communication to monitor the minibus while driving. The situation around the bus can be monitored in real time from the control center and manual control can be carried out.