Autonomous shuttle to transport students around Israeli university

Should the pilot be successful, the autonomous shuttle will boost the capacity of the university's existing, human-driven campus transportation system.

By EYTAN HALON
Updated: DECEMBER 28, 2018 06:00
Navya's Autonom Shuttle which will transport students around Bar-Ilan University from April 2019. (photo credit: NAVYA)
Navya's Autonom Shuttle which will transport students around Bar-Ilan University from April 2019.
(photo credit: NAVYA)
An autonomous electric shuttle will be deployed to transport students and visitors around the campus of Bar-Ilan University beginning in April, the university announced Wednesday.
Leading French autonomous vehicle company Navya will supply the “Autonom Shuttle” for the initiative led by the Bar-Ilan Smart Cities Impact Center, which seeks to transform the university’s campus into an urban laboratory where scientists and solution providers can test their smart city systems.
Initially, the shuttle will undergo a pilot program in January and February, only traveling at night when the campus is empty. Should the pilot be successful, the autonomous shuttle will boost the capacity of the university’s existing, human-driven campus transportation system.
“As a university located in an urban center, with close to one million residents, we have a responsibility to produce and advance solutions which will make life easier in the city,” said Bar-Ilan University director-general Zohar Yinon.
“We are proud that our campus, attended by tens of thousands of people every day, serves as an urban innovation laboratory. The autonomous shuttle coming to campus is just one example of a range of solutions in fields including parking, lighting, energy savings and accessibility for disabled individuals that have been implemented here on campus as a pilot prior to being offered to various cities.”
Capable of transporting 15 people, the Autonom Shuttle uses a combination of advanced guidance and detection systems, as well as deep learning programs, to safely navigate both cities and private sites. To date, 103 shuttles have been installed in locations including: Paris, France; Christchurch, New Zealand; Las Vegas, United States; Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; and Sydney Olympic Park, Australia.
Five electric shuttles, each designed to transport 13 passengers, currently serve the Bar-Ilan University campus, operating at 20-minute intervals.