Have a family and peaceful Christmas. May you stay safe and sound, having kindness to each other, especially to other road users. Wishing all your journeys to take place under the sign of safety, and may 2024 provide many reasons to be happy.
On December 14, 2023, the 1st DARTS-PL Seminar was held, during which the first effects of the project "Database of Autonomous vehicles Road Testing Scenarios", financed by NCBiR under the GOSPOSTRATEG program, were presented. The main topics of the meeting were infrastructure aspects and road traffic safety. The seminar was attended by numerous representatives of scientific units, universities, research institutes and entrepreneurs who produce elements of driving automation systems, deal with software and test autonomous solutions.
On November 25-26, 2023, experts from the Connected and Autonomous Vehicles Competence Centre (CK:PAP) gave a series of lectures at the Faculty of Automotive and Construction Machinery Engineering of the Warsaw University of Technology as part of the Autonomous Vehicles subject. Lectures conducted by representatives of CK:PAP took place during the 10th meeting of postgraduate studies in New Mobility, carried out by the Warsaw University of Technology and the Polish Alternative Fuels Association.
Reaching new milestones in the development of autonomous driving systems brings joy to the scientific and technical community around the world, regardless of location. Poland has a great reason to be proud in this respect - on November 20, 2023, the Blees company from Gliwice began testing its autonomous BB-1 minibus, thus constituting a bright spot on the European innovation map. On November 22, 2023, CK:PAP experts participated in the demonstration of the Blees BB-1 vehicle, transporting test participants along a programmed route, located on the campus of the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice.
On November 1, 2023, Aurora Innovation located in Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania, USA) announced the launch of a modern transport terminal in Houston, and thus its readiness to provide comprehensive service and supervision of cargo transport carried out by autonomous trucks on the route between the cities of Houston and Dallas. The project will involve operating a fleet of approximately 20 autonomous trucks that will transport loads without the participation of drivers, but with the support of staff from transport terminals.
Meetings of experts on automated/autonomous and connected vehicles (GRVA) are an opportunity to discuss issues related to the need of harmonizing vehicle regulations. The topics discussed during the 17th GRVA Session, which took place on September 25-29, 2023 in Geneva, included: issues related to the proposal of implementing the new UN Regulation on uniform provisions concerning the approval of vehicles with regard to advanced driver assistance systems.
The 17th Session of the Working Party on Automated/Autonomous and Connected Vehicles (GRVA) was held from September 25 to 29, 2023 at the Palace of Nations in Geneva, attended by a representative of the Connected and Autonomous Vehicles Competence Centre (CK:PAP) Dr. Eng. Artur Gołowicz. During the meeting, the need to introduce changes in the categorization of vehicles equipped with ADS (Automated Driving Systems) was discussed.
The implementation of autonomous vehicles is a long-term venture, fraught with doubts and barriers that are gradually being solved and overcome, both at the technological and legal level, as well as by building understanding and social acceptance. On September 30, 2023, Dr. Eng. Mikołaj Kruszewski, expert of the Connected and Autonomous Vehicles Competence Centre (CK:PAP), took part in a conversation on Polish Radio of Drivers (broadcast "Na luzie"). The main topics of the discussion were global trends in autonomous mobility and the prospects for implementing autonomous vehicles in Poland.
The implementation of automated and autonomous vehicles affects the demand - from the automotive industry - for employees with specific competences, especially in the area of technology and software. The current level of development and implementation of autonomous vehicles in Poland still requires many years of work, so it is important to educate specialists who will contribute to overcoming the barriers related to their implementation.
CK:PAP expert Dr. Eng. Mikołaj Kruszewski was a guest of editor Wiktor Niedzicki on the CiekaWizja YouTube channel. The conversation concerned various aspects of the implementation of automated and autonomous driving, including the benefits, but also the doubts raised by the new technology in drivers and other road users.