Mercedes-Benz just passed a major milestone in autonomous public transportation.
The company's semi-autonomous bus, called the Future Bus, drove a little more than 12 miles from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport to Haarlem, a city just outside Amsterdam. The bus's journey was especially impressive because the route included traffic lights, tunnels, and required the bus to navigate around people.
Mercedes is betting self-driving buses like its Future Bus will grow in demand as urban populations continue to increase and more public transportation is needed.
"We are living in an increasingly urban world. Cities are home to more than 50% of the world's population. And the number keep increasing rapidly," said Wolfgang Bernhard, the CEO of Daimler Trucks and Buses, at a press event Monday. "If more and more people eat, sleep, and work in cities, a number of big challenges emerge. One major challenge is to move all of these people and to move them fast, safely, and comfortably. This means we need attractive, public transportation."
Here's a closer look at some of the features of Mercedes' self-driving Future Bus and how it works.
Mercedes didn't have to start from scratch with the Future Bus. The company is a pioneer in autonomous trucks, so the company was able to build upon its Highway Pilot system to create City Pilot, which is the system the bus uses.
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
The company's semi-autonomous bus, called the Future Bus, drove a little more than 12 miles from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport to Haarlem, a city just outside Amsterdam. The bus's journey was especially impressive because the route included traffic lights, tunnels, and required the bus to navigate around people.
Mercedes is betting self-driving buses like its Future Bus will grow in demand as urban populations continue to increase and more public transportation is needed.
"We are living in an increasingly urban world. Cities are home to more than 50% of the world's population. And the number keep increasing rapidly," said Wolfgang Bernhard, the CEO of Daimler Trucks and Buses, at a press event Monday. "If more and more people eat, sleep, and work in cities, a number of big challenges emerge. One major challenge is to move all of these people and to move them fast, safely, and comfortably. This means we need attractive, public transportation."
Here's a closer look at some of the features of Mercedes' self-driving Future Bus and how it works.
Mercedes didn't have to start from scratch with the Future Bus. The company is a pioneer in autonomous trucks, so the company was able to build upon its Highway Pilot system to create City Pilot, which is the system the bus uses.
The Future Bus with City Pilot can self-drive just like a truck equipped with Highway Pilot. However it can also recognize traffic lights, steer through tunnels, and can recognize pedestrians and bicyclists.
The Future Bus is also programmed to navigate into the bus stop with incredible precision. City Pilot enables the bus to pull in so that there is less than 10 cm between the bus and the curb, making it easy for passengers to get on and off.
Right now, the Mercedes Future Bus has a top speed of 43 miles per hour and is programmed to operate in Bus only lanes. This is because these lanes are usually easier to navigate because traffic is less complex.
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