A driverless vehicle developed with regional technology

27 February 2014

Today in San Sebastian, the Taxisat vehicle was demonstrated at the office of Vicomtech-IK4
The Technology Centre has hosted the Taxisat project final workshop with the attendance of the project partners, the projects’ supervising Officer from the Europan Commission and Stakeholders.
Within the project Vicomtech-IK4 has developed the Computer Vision technology that helps the vehicle to determine its position, detect obstacles and to move safely.

Vicomtech-IK4 has hosted the Taxisat project final workshop and demonstrated the Taxisat vehicle. Taxisat is a first in driverless and cost effective vehicles that can move safely and reliably within private sites thanks to Computer Vision technology and to GNSS Navigation technologies. During the workshop the main technological milestones of the Project have been discussed and the project’s outcomes reviewed. Vicomtech-IK4 has hosted the workshop in conjunction with the project partners, the European Commission and several relevant Stakeholders.

Within Taxisat, Vicomtech-IK4 has led the development of algorithms that use visual sensors that enable the vehicle to detect its position and to automatously take decisions that it allow to be continuously mobile. These algorithms allow the accurate calculation of the vehicles’ position, identification of obstacles that are typically found in the street or on the road. This kind of information is helpful for the vehicle to decide where to go and to move whilst respecting traffic signs and signals, other vehicles and pedestrians. The technological objective of the project is to reduce the cost of the embedded sensors making use of Computer Vision systems such as COTS cameras and GNSS technology.

In addition, it will lead to a reduction of pollution in cities as it is an electric vehicle; it will help with parking congestion acting as shuttle between public transport and the users’ destination over the last mile; and it will help reduce the number of vehicles in metropolitan areas where it is not economically viable to operate a public transport service or line.

Vicomtech-IK4

Vicomtech-IK4 is an applied research centre specialised in interactive computer graphics and multimedia technology. In particular, Vicomtech-IK4 is specialised in visual interaction and communications technologies.

Vicomtech-IK4 began its activity in 2001 founded by a network of European multimedia and 3D graphics technology centres in conjunction with EiTB.

Vicomtech-IK4 has earned the UNE 166002 and ISO 9001 certifications, making it one of the few technology centres to hold internationally recognised certificates and placing it at the leading edge in research quality.