Siemens Mobility, along with ViP Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam GmbH, says it will present the world’s first autonomous tram at InnoTrans 2018, a global transportation trade show held in Germany.
On a six-kilometer section of the tram network in Potsdam, Germany, Siemens Mobility will be demonstrating the test tram as it drives autonomously in real traffic on September 18 through 21, the company says.
With artificial intelligence capability, the tram responds to trackside tram signals, stops at tram stops, and reacts autonomously to hazards such as crossing pedestrians and other vehicles. Siemens Mobility is the first company to launch an autonomous tram for research and development purposes.
“This world premiere demonstrates how we are actively shaping the mobility of the future,” says Sabrina Soussan, CEO of Siemens Mobility, in a press release.
ViP has provided a Siemens Combino tram for the project. This experimental vehicle is equipped with multiple lidar, radar and camera sensors that serve as “digital eyes” to capture images of the tram and its traffic environment, the company says of its research project.
“At the same time, complex algorithms function as a ‘brain’ by interpreting and evaluating data from the momentary operating situation, providing a prognosis for further development of the situation, then triggering an appropriate response by the tram,” the press release says.
“Our autonomous tram can already master essential operating tasks in real road traffic at this stage of development,” Soussan says.
“By relying on the ‘Siemens Tram Assistant’ collision warning system being used in, among other places, our Avenio M tram operating in Ulm, Germany, we have already reached series maturity – an important milestone on the way to autonomous driving. By making trains and infrastructure intelligent, we can guarantee availability and enhance safety in local and long-distance travel.”
The experimental tram being used to demonstrate autonomous driving at the world premiere is not designed for commercial use.
The current project aims at identifying the technological challenges of autonomous driving under real-life conditions, then developing and testing solutions for them. A continuation of the cooperation is already being discussed with ViP, the press release says.
Organizers say InnoTrans is the industry’s leading international trade fair, occupying all of the Berlin exhibition grounds.
