Spanish Initiative for the Automation in Urban Transport: AutoMOST

Abstract

The progressive automation of transport will imply a new paradigm in mobility, which will profoundly affect people, logistics of goods, as well as other sectors dependent on transport. It is precise within this automation where the development of new driving technologies is going to cause a great impact on the mobility of the near future, and that will have an effect on the economic, natural and social environment. It is therefore a primary issue at the global level, as it is reflected in the work programs of the European Commission in relation to the road transport [1] [2]. Thus, the size impact is caused by the following novelties and advantages: 1) Safety: Accidents reduction caused by human error; 2) Efficiency increase in transportation, both in energy consumption and time; 3) Comfort for users and professionals who will increase their operational availability to execute other more valuable tasks, both for them and enterprises; 4) Social Inclusion: enabling mobility easily for everybody during more time; 5) Accessibility, to get to city centers and other difficult reach places. It should be noted that the economic impact projected for automated driving for the years to come ranges up to €71 bn in 2030, when estimated global market for automated vehicles is 44 million vehicles, as is reflected in document Automated Driving Roadmap by ERTRAC [3], European Road Transport Research Advisory Council (http://www.ertrac.org/uploads/documentsearch/id38/ERTRAC_Automated-Driving-2015.pdf). As background that already anticipates these im-provements, the Advance Driver Assistance System (ADAs) have already showed the safety increase in the last ten years, but always maintain a leading role for the driver. Related to the efficiency increase, automated driving offers great opportunities for those companies where mobility is a key factor in operating costs, and affects the whole value chain. The project opportunity is consistent with ERTRAC vision, especially in applications focused on the urban environment [4], where it is expected a deployment of the technology of high level automation in an immediate future. This is possible by the potential to incorporate smart infrastructure to improve guidance and positioning, as well as lower speed, which eases its progressive deployment. The objective of AutoMOST is developing technologies for the automation of vehicles in urban transport and industrial applications, to increase significantly the efficiency, safety and environmental sustainability. More specifically, AutoMOST will allow the implementation of shared control systems (Dual-Mode) [5] for future automated vehicles that allow the services operate more efficiently and flexibly, in a context of intelligent and connected infrastructures.