Oxbotica leads drive for autonomous fleet from the streets of Hounslow

The move to London follows successful ongoing trials in Oxford by the Oxbotica-led DRIVEN consortium, which is working toward fleet-wide Level 4 connected autonomy.

The vehicles mapping the streets of Hounslow are expected to be autonomous by Christmas 2018. Nominet and insurers AXA XL will test data transfer in what has been described as the ‘most all-encompassing autonomous vehicles trial to date’.

Hounslow is seen as a key link between Oxford and London and data gathered during these trials will support the consortium’s plans to run a fleet of autonomous vehicles between the two cities in 2019. In the lead up to this, London trials will continue until Summer 2019.

During the mapping process, Oxbotica will gather data to help understand the contents of street signs, and the meanings of lane markings on the road to enable vehicles to understand the complexities of each street. To conduct the mapping, the vehicles are fitted with technology including Oxbotica’s Selenium autonomy software, radar, lidar sensors, onboard computers, and cameras.