Aston University has completed a two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Coventry-based global transport technology firm Aurrigo, resulting in a sophisticated machine vision solution making its autonomous vehicles more capable. Projects like this open up new market niche opportunities for insurance brands, as last mile delivery, minicab and event transport like this needs insurance of course, plus it has a new set of risks to consider given its semi-autonomous tech.
The project has led to the company’s driverless vehicles being able to see and recognise objects in greater detail resulting in improved performance across a wider spectrum of operational domains. Previously the company’s driverless vehicles were only capable of detecting that there was an object in their path and not the type of object, so would just stop when they encountered something in their way.
The project team leveraged computer vision systems, coupled with machine learning and artificial intelligence, to differentiate between objects of interest. The new technology has been applied to the company’s airport Auto-Dolly, which is now able to differentiate between many different objects airside improving its operational performance.
This project has built on the success of Aurrigo’s passenger and airport transport solutions and has been awarded the highest grade of ‘Outstanding’ by the Innovate UK KTP Grading Panel.
Professor David Keene, CEO of Aurrigo, said:
“KTPs provide resource and academic support to companies with development ideas which otherwise may not be possible. This partnership has allowed us to produce a system which has resulted in our vehicles becoming smarter and more capable and enabled us to expand our operations, particularly with baggage handling in airports worldwide.”
Learnings of this project will have further applications for vehicles in their larger product range.
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