Existing technology used in “driverless” situations could cut development and costs in the automotive sector, say engineers.
A lack of shared best practice in the transport sector is putting the brakes on the huge benefits, including safety and reduced congestion, that can be achieved with increased autonomy across different transport modes, according to a new report published today.
Published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), Automated Vehicles: Cross-modal Learning in Autonomy, highlights the need for different industries and transport modes to learn from each other by developing a common approach to software standards, skills development and regulation.
Without this transfer of learning the wider use of autonomy in transport will not be realised and wide-ranging opportunities across road, rail, aerospace and maritime will be missed.
Autonomy is already common in rail, marine and air transport – for example, autopilot is widely used in aircraft and maritime and London’s DLR and Victoria line are both autonomous. The report is calling for this existing intelligence to be shared more effectively between modes.