Public trial at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Capri pods are currently transporting members of the public around the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with visitors able to test out an innovative mobility service. The trial will finish on Friday 13th September.

Visitors can book a ride using an app through information marshals located at different stops along the pods’ route. When booking a journey, participants can choose which stop to be picked up and dropped off from, with the system giving destination instructions to the self-driving vehicles. Simulating an on-demand service, the trial will help support the wider rollout of driverless shuttles in the future.

As well as testing and assessing the technology an important element of this trial will be to understand people’s behaviours and attitudes towards driverless pods. Capri partners University of the West of England and Loughborough University will be observing how people behave when confronted by the pods, as well as surveying passengers who take a ride on them.

What’s happening and when?

This trial at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is the first public appearance for the Capri pods, which will pick up and drop off passengers at different points on a circular route, passing the Lee Valley VeloPark, Copper Box Arena, Here East and Timber Lodge Café. See map below.

Local schools will also be participating, with two engagement days taking place to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) activities.

https://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/capri-pods-tested-by-manorfield-pupils-1-6259717

The current programme is provided below (please note this is subject to change on a daily basis).

Following this trial, the Capri pods will be at The Mall in South Gloucestershire in early 2020, returning to the Park next year with a final trial that will extend their route and further test the on-demand technology.

Consideration of vulnerable road users

The Capri pods are operating within the Queen Elizabeth  Olympic Park using the wide walkways along a designated route. The pods are wheelchair accessible and information marshals are on hand to support any queries or requests members of the public may have. Whilst moving within the park the pods make an audible sound to make people aware of their presence. Safety mashals follow the pods and advise park users how best to interact around the vehicles. In the future Capri pods have the potential to provide significant benefits to vulnerable road users, extending accessibility and providing an enhanced, personalised and responsive service for all passengers.

Approach to safety

Prior to this public trial we have undertaken rigorous safety testing of the Capri pods, performing a wide range of tests in a closed site. The tests have been tailored to match similar conditions we expect to encounter at the park, in particular the interaction with scooters, bicycles, sharp turns, and low lying objects. The tests (run by Loughborough University) were passed by the pod, and using the results we have prepared a rigorous safety case for the operation of the pods at the park. The safety case has bene approved by key stakeholders including the London Legacy Development Corporation (who operate the park) and the insurers for the trial. The safety case includes detailed documentation of the design and testing of the pods, and key risks and mitigation strategies. A Safety Steward is always be in the pod whilst it is running. The Safety Steward monitors the progress of the pod and is able to stop the pod and disengage the autonomous control system at any time using a mechnical device. The use of a Safety Steward is standard practice for trialing in the UK. Given the unique nature of the trial we have decided to use safety marshals who are monitoring the pod and park behaviour at all times, and pre-empting any potential issues.

Following this trial we will review the role of the Safety Steward and Safety Marshals and consider whether they are necessary for subsequent trials. Afterall, the pods eventually need to run fully autonomously!

What data is being collected?

During the trial a wealth of data is being collected to support the operation of the trial and inform our future research and development. This includes three key areas:

  • Data from the pods: We are logging data from the pods in real time including position, speed, mode, and sensor data.  The information is kept after the trial and will be “replayed” to help analyse and understand performance.  This will help with future development.  We will log the requests made by participants via a tablet held by an Information Marshal.  This information is not traceable back to the individuals.
  • Participant questionnaires: We are asking trial participants to undertake a survey after their ride so we can understand what users think about the service.  The survey can be completed online or via a hard copy with one of our Information Marshals.  The results will help us to understand user attitudes and requirements, informing wider service design and deployment requirements.  Questionnaire responses are anonymous.
  • Behaviour of other park users: Video, observational and questionnaire data is being collected to capture how other park users navigate around the pods. This will help us understand wider behaviours including how people give way to pods, whether people try and make eye contact with a non-existent driver, and how closely people appear to be comfortable passing in front or alongside it.  This helps inform the wider service design.  Data derived from the videos is anonymised; once analysed the video data will be discarded. This helps inform future safety testing requirements and the wider service design.  Behavioural data outputs derived from the videos is anonymised and no attempt will be made to identify individuals; raw video data will only be used internally within the consortium and will not be made public. During data collection signs will be put up to notify members of the public that filming is taking place, and filming will be stopped should any members of the public request not to be captured.

Trial 4 at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

QEOP – Round Two!

After a successful trial at The Mall Cribbs Causeway, The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is hosting another trial between the 9th – 20th March 2020. QEOP is where the first public demonstration of the Capri technology happened and so it’s only fitting to finish there!

Three British-made, four-seater autonomous PODs will be brought to the park for use by the QEOP public. The pods will pick up and drop off passengers at stops around the Park, passing Lee Valley VeloPark, Hockey & Tennis Centre and Timber Lodge Café.

Park route including pod stops.

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to use the free pod service and can do so using our hailing app – Capri ConApp. The app is available on Android and iOS which can be downloaded by scanning the QR code below or use the link here: conigital.com/capri-conapp/

*You must be in the Park to make a booking. The QR code can also be found at each stop sign in the Park.

The current running programme is provided below.

*Please note that the operating times are subject to changes however the table can be used as a general guide for the intended schedule at QEOP.

Days marked as ‘on-road’ will be used for private testing and pods will not be availble for public use.

What’s New?

Capri will be looking to build on previous trials with this final trial being used to test the pod in both a shared space environment and on-road for the first time in the project!  This will present new technical challenges such as interacting with traffic lights and managing the physical transition between the park environment and faster road.

There will also be the introduction of a web-based booking platform which will help members track the pods, book trips and interact with CONNIE, Conigital’s new on-board concierge.

Capri will also use this opportunity to reach out to the community through planned STEM activities in the form of two engagement days with local schools, participation in ‘Your Neighbourhood Talks’ on Tuesday 17th March and making an appearance at the ‘Where’s Wally Fun Run’.

Accessibility and Inclusion

Autonomous pods have great potential to provide significant benefits for all passengers especially vulnerable road users. With that in mind, the Capri pods were designed with everyone in-mind and appropriate considerations were made to ensure they are accessible to those with mobility needs. Additional space can be assigned within the pods for those using wheelchairs. Ramps will be available at each stop and trial marshals will be available on-site to assist with the placement and use.

You’ll also notice that whilst moving the pods make an audible sound. This is to ensure that all people, especially those with poor eye-sight are notified of the pods presence as it moves around the park.

For additional safety, marshals accompany the pods at all times, keeping an eye out for potential hazards and also advising park users on how to best interact with the pods.

Getting to the Park

Public transport is the best and easiest way to get to and from the park:

Tube and Train – The nearest stations are Stratford station and Stratford International station, both of which are in Zone 2/3 and provide step-free access from entrance to platform. These are served by the Jubilee & Central lines, DLR and London Overground services.

Bus – The park is easily accessible by bus with multiple services operating to Stratford bus station and Stratford City bus station located close to the park.

For more information on getting to the park, click here.

Approach to safety

Prior to this public trial we have undertaken rigorous safety testing of the Capri pods, performing a wide range of tests in a closed site. The tests have been tailored to match similar conditions we expect to encounter at the park, in particular the interaction with scooters, bicycles, sharp turns, and low lying objects. The tests (run by Loughborough University) were passed by the pod, and using the results we have prepared a rigorous safety case for the operation of the pods at the park. The safety case has been approved by key stakeholders including the London Legacy Development Corporation (who operate the park) and the insurers for the trial. The safety case includes detailed documentation of the design and testing of the pods, and key risks and mitigation strategies. A Safety Steward is always close to the pod whilst it is running. The Safety Steward monitors the progress of the pod and is able to stop the pod and disengage the autonomous control system at any time. The use of a Safety Steward is standard practice for trialing in the UK. Given the unique nature of the trial we have decided to use safety marshals who are monitoring the pod and park behaviour at all times, and pre-empting any potential issues.

What data is being collected?

During the trial a wealth of data is being collected to support the operation of the trial and inform our future research and development. This includes three key areas:

  • Data from the pods: We are logging data from the pods in real time including position, speed, mode, and sensor data.  The information is kept after the trial and will be “replayed” to help analyse and understand performance.  This will help with future development.  We will log the requests made by participants via a tablet held by an Information Marshal.  This information is not traceable back to the individuals.
  • Participant questionnaires: We are asking trial participants to undertake a survey after their ride so we can understand what users think about the service.  The survey can be completed online or via a hard copy with one of our Information Marshals.  The results will help us to understand user attitudes and requirements, informing wider service design and deployment requirements.  Questionnaire responses are anonymous.
  • Behaviour of other park users: Video, observational and questionnaire data is being collected to capture how other park users navigate around the pods. This will help us understand wider behaviours including how people give way to pods, whether people try and make eye contact with a non-existent driver, and how closely people appear to be comfortable passing in front or alongside it.  This helps inform the wider service design.  Data derived from the videos is anonymised; once analysed the video data will be discarded. This helps inform future safety testing requirements and the wider service design.  Behavioural data outputs derived from the videos is anonymised and no attempt will be made to identify individuals; raw video data will only be used internally within the consortium and will not be made public. During data collection signs will be put up to notify members of the public that filming is taking place, and filming will be stopped should any members of the public request not to be captured.

We look forward to seeing you at the park!

 

Summary of Trial 3 at Cribbs Causeway, Bristol

Expanding on our achievements at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, we continued to develop the capabilities of the pods and the technology used with this trial. We actively promoted and generated great enthusiasm from the public who will one day be using it.

Bremer completing a trip.

George Lunt – Technical Director at AECOM, at the start said “With a number of environmental, efficiency and mobility benefits associated with connected and autonomous vehicles, there is great potential for the UK to enter a diverse range of international markets. However, for this idea to fully develop, it is vital the public are on board and have the chance to experience a mobility service that can potentially transform the way they travel.”

“Together with our partners, we must explore and bring together the technical, social and operational aspects to ensure the research and development gathered will not only allow us to be at the forefront of CAV development but also create a legacy for future generations.”

The pods were introduced to The Mall, which offered a new environment containing different challenges for connected and autonomous vehicles’ (CAVs) technology to showcase their potential inclusive, on-demand, public mobility services.

One Capri pod, Brabazon, was proudly on display in The Mall, whilst another pod, Bremer, gave many rides on routes within the car park. The trial received a diverse range of public participants who took trips and interacted with Bremer, many becoming fully immersed in the autonomous experience and excited about the future. All visitors were encouraged to provide feedback and opinions which we will be using to asses behaviours and attitudes towards CAVs and shape the future of the Capri project.

UK public CAV trials to date have had a dedicated engineer inside the vehicle overseeing a safe journey. The Capri trial was one of the first in the UK without this level of supervision, inviting members of the public to turn up and travel alone in the autonomous pods, a true driverless journey. This key feature was operated safely by the trial team, with many members of the public expressing they felt safe within the vehicles and did not see the need for any on-board supervision.

One of the most notable achievements of the trial was the interest received from national media outlets such as the Telegraph, BBC South-West and Bristol Post who visited and published articles about the trial. As part of a Sky News exclusive, we successfully demonstrated the pod’s collision avoidance and navigation technology live on national television!

Bremer stopping after detecting a pedestrian.

We also welcomed several VIP visitors to the trial including the WECA Mayor, Tim Bowles, the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), Weston-Super-Mare town council, North Somerset Council and the Driver & Vehicle standards Agency (DVSA) who have followed the project with interest and wanted to see it in action. Weston-Super-Mare Town Council were particularly impressed by the potential of the service and are keen to host a trials with the help of Capri.

 Capri Developments

Technology continuously improves and The Mall provided an excellent opportunity to present exciting new features of the autonomous vehicles; remote stewarding, the Conigital on-board assistant and dynamic bounding boxes.

As mentioned previously, this trial was one of the first to conduct ‘Remote Stewarding’, were the safety marshal – usually overseeing from the inside – is taken out of the pod allowing passengers to ride independently. The safety marshal is then free to monitor from the outside of the vehicle using a remote switch, providing a better view of any potentially hazardous situations around the pod. More research is required to gain a better understanding of how the public feel towards self-driving vehicles but ‘Remote Stewarding’ proved to be a significant step towards providing a greater feeling of vehicle autonomy whilst ensuring safety was maintained at all times.

During the pod trips, members of the public were introduced to Conigital’s on-board concierge, GEMMA for the first time in Capri history. GEMMA was able to interact with riders, providing information on points-of-interest and details about the pod journey.

The Mall and its varied layout prompted the Capri team to test and develop the bounding boxes used on the pods. These bounding boxes are part of autonomous control system which is are used to detect objects around the pod and prevent collisions. Dynamic bounding boxes allow the pods to handle more complex manoeuvres in a densely populated area without sacrificing safety and passenger comfort. The dynamic bounding boxes worked as intended, shown when the pod negotiated the route and took necessary measures to avoid pedestrians, scooters and cars during controlled stunts.

Our lessons learnt

General feedback from participants has given the Capri team an opportunity to develop its approach when promoting the technology to the public. Common themes amongst members of the public were to do with the pods future use, the way they look and even the names.

One focal point of the trial was to help the public understand the unique challenges surrounding an A-B pod service in populated environments. Members of the public were able to see the potential advantages of having autonomous pods used for leisure, ride hailing & sharing whilst also facilitating inclusive mobility for those who otherwise have difficulty in these environments.

Opinions on the aesthetic features of the pod gave an idea of how branding could be changed to attract a wider audience. The static pod, ‘Brabazon 2’ – named after the iconic Bristol Brabazon aircraft from 1949 – attracted a lot attention from older members with which the name was very familiar. Although very popular amongst them, the name may not have had much significance with younger generations and so future Capri pods could be named after more consultation with focus groups to get a diverse range of opinions. The same approach could be taken with the colour schemes of the pods or interactive elements such as the on-board concierge or the booking app to make sure the whole Capri experience caters for all.

Thank you to all who came and got involved. We look forward to seeing you back at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for another public trial!

Public Trial At The Mall Cribbs Causeway

 

The CAPRI consortium is giving South Gloucestershire and Bristol residents the chance to test out an innovative transport service at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway, South Gloucestershire.

The Mall at Cribbs Causeway

The CAPRI consortium’s driverless pods will be transporting members of the public adjacent to The Mall, enabling them to experience connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) and understand how they might operate in the future.

What’s happening and when?

This trial at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway, Bristol, will run between the 20th and 26th of January. Shoppers will be given the opportunity to experience autonomous vehicles and learn more about the technology that has been used.

We will see two Capri PODs be used for this trial:

  • One static POD located within the shopping centre to showcase how CAVs work and the technology that is being used in the CAPRI trials.
  • One operational POD which will take passengers along the shared pedestrian space outside of The Mall.

The map below shows the POD operating route between A-B. Marker C shows the location of the static POD.

POD operating times are roughly 10am to 4pm each day. There will be a few evening trials, however, these will be on specific days. The current schedule is provided below (please note this is subject to change on a daily basis).

Why The Mall at Cribbs Causeway?

The Mall at Cribbs Causeway is the premier shopping destination in the South West with 130 retail stores, 7000 free car parking spaces and attracting 12 million visitors annually. At any one time there can be up to 10,000 people within The Mall. With a growing amount of footfall and congestion, this idea of autonomous vehicles brings new challenges and technical requirements for our British made pods to operate autonomously as they navigate between crowded areas with pedestrians, push-chairs, mobility scooters, bikes and animals.

Autonomous vehicles has the potential to improve customer experience and reshape shopping centres to allow landlords to greatly expand their gross lettable area and replace car parks with drop-off / pick up zones. The research project will broaden the UK’s knowledge of the impact of connected and autonomous vehicles and help inform the future direction of their development and implementation.

What’s different about our project?

UK public CAV trials to date have a dedicated engineer inside the vehicle overseeing a safe journey. The Capri trial will be the first in the UK without this level of supervision, inviting members of the public to turn up and travel alone in the autonomous pod.

APPROACH TO SAFETY

Prior to this public trial we have undertaken rigorous safety testing of the Capri pods, performing a wide range of tests on a closed site. The tests have been tailored to match similar conditions we expect to encounter at The Mall.

Led by Loughborough University, the pods have completed a number of tests which have now been used, and to prepare a rigorous safety plan for the trials at The Mall. The safety case has been reviewed by key stakeholders for the trial and includes detailed documentation of the design and testing of the pods, as well as key risks and mitigation strategies. A Safety Steward is always monitoring the progress of the pod and is able to stop the pod and disengage the autonomous control system at any time remotely.

CONSIDERATION OF VULNERABLE ROAD USERS

The Capri pods will use the wide walkways along a designated route. The pods are also wheelchair accessible and information marshals are on hand to support any queries or requests members of the public may have. As the pod moves towards the mall, the pods are designed with an audible sound to ensure people are aware of their presence. Safety Marshals follow the pods and advise shoppers how best to interact around the vehicles.

What data is being collected?

During the trial, we will be collecting data to support the operation of the trial and inform our future research and development. The research used in this trial will help reduce potential barriers limiting the uptake of commercially ready autonomous vehicle services. This also includes overcoming technical challenges, raising public awareness and ensuring sustainable integration into the wider transport systems. This pilot will support the local and UK economy by helping regional and national businesses become more competitive in a growing international market.

Trial 2 Summary and lessons learnt

In this summary blog we review our trial at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park including our safety approach, progress made and lessons learnt.

Summary of Trial 2: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London

Between the 2nd and 13th of September, two Capri pods made their first public appearance in the London testbed – Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. One of the key objectives for this trial were to take the autonomous pods from a controlled testing environment (in Trial 1 at Filton Airfield) into a complex “live” public environment. This allowed us, the Capri consortium, to demonstrate and assess the connected autonomous vehicles’ (CAVs) technology for an on-demand inclusive public mobility service in a pedestrian area, as well as collating data on the public’s behaviour and attitude to support the growing understanding of the social and behavioural aspects of CAVs.

Over the course of these two weeks, the Capri team worked closely with the park stakeholders and champions to ensure successful and safe trialling of automated vehicle technologies in the public space. The purpose-built pods could be hailed from any of the designated stops via our volunteers simulating an on-demand service. Each pod was able to fit up to three passengers at a time and an additional wheelchair or pushchair. It is key for the consortium to put diversity and inclusivity in the centre of our public trials to encapsulate broader views for buy-in and the needs for future mobility. We engaged and involved hundreds of the members of public including local residents, park users and younger generations to participate as they will be the potential users of this new mobility. The British Junior Paralympics swimming team, Rokeby School and Manorfield Primary School were invited down to see the pods up close and take a ride around the park. The students undertook STEM activities to learn about the Capri autonomous vehicle technology and smart cities as well as wider societal implications including lifestyle, the environment and jobs. By undertaking such public engagement activities like these in trials, it really helps to promote UK CAV capability and inspire younger members from the local community about future mobility services.

We received great feedback of the school engagement days from the students and teachers. Tracy Ward, Key Stage 3 Coordinator at Rokeby School, said; “This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to see the pod in operation as it enables them to visualise what the future could look like. It also gave them the chance to explore and learn about the infrastructure needed to make it a success.” One student commented; “It was great to see how the world can change”.

The trial was highly successful and the pods performed as expected in the public environment: zero incidents, zero manual overrides and members of the public were well enthused and cooperative. George Lunt, Capri project manager, summarised: “The trial was a huge success. We have proved the technology is capable of operating within the park, and gained valuable feedback from the public to help refine the business model for such services which will help accelerate future sustainable deployment. It’s been wonderful to see everyone from the team pulling together and delivering this great trial.”

Our safety approach

As part of our safety measures prior to the trial, we undertook rigorous safety testing of the vehicle replicating a wide range of scenarios in a closed site before testing in the park. Over 600 different tests were chosen to match the anticipated conditions at the park, and interactions with vulnerable road users, scooters, bicycles, sharp turns and low-lying objects in particular. The pods were tested to assess its capability in responding to hazards as far as it’s reasonably possible, for example slowing down, and coming to a complete stop.

Risk assessments of the site were also undertaken which included route optioneering and route safety assessment. The information provided in the safety case allowed us to create realistic valuations of risk and understand the appropriate mitigation measures to put in place. For example, mitigations for the crowded environment to included a visual warning beacon and audible warning on top of the pod to make others aware of its presence. When the vehicle is put in ‘creep’ mode in high-density areas, the warnings are programmed to be more audible to alert and the vehicle will reduce its speed to approach with caution.

In addition to capturing data from sensors and control systems associated with the automated features of the vehicle and other information concerning vehicle movement, the vehicle was fitted with video recording systems to capture the external and internal environment to provide forensic integrity, security, safety and assurance.

Safety stewards and marshals were recruited and had undertaken specialist training to perform their role on site and characteristics of the vehicle to understand potential limitations of the technologies under trial as complete as possible. The two autonomous pods in operation were always monitored by a safety steward in each vehicle, ready to override and take manual control the vehicle if necessary. The pods were accompanied by safety marshals outside the vehicle to assist with monitoring the situation.

Careful planning of the trial logistics and contingency measures were also agreed across stakeholders including communication plans for liaison with various parties. Park champion volunteers were equipped with information of the trial to provide the public with knowledge of autonomous vehicles and trial routes. Signs were also placed in the park with information sheets provided to the micro mobility users to ensure they took care in the presence of the vehicle.

We anticipated the needs of vulnerable road users including wheelchairs, push chairs and young children in the park. Ramps were provided at stops to allow step free access onto the pod.

Our progress made

Our academic partners including Loughborough University and University of the West of England took first hand feedback from trial participants in the form of both qualitative and quantitative data from surveys. The data will help to study and explore the current public perception, expectations and concerns with their experience with the pods. For example, to gauge wider public acceptability of park users and build a picture of people’s subconscious level of comfort of the vehicle and necessity of features of the pod and on-board stewards.

Video footage of naturalistic behaviour of park users was captured at various locations using fixed cameras. Our research team ensured that members of the public were aware of the presence of the cameras and personal data being collected. This will be used to help research and study the interaction between the human and autonomous vehicles in its natural environment without researchers’ interventions. For example, to understand behaviours of road users navigating around the pods as well as pods stopping and deceleration of speeds. There are still challenging questions still to be explored including: Do people give way to the pod? Do people try and make eye contact with a non-existant driver before walking out in front of it? How closely do people appear to be comfortable passing in front or alongside the pod?

The academic partners will be collating various insights from the trial and undertake further analysis and review. The learnings will be disseminated through publication of papers post trials.

Our lessons learnt

Our trial team on site and park volunteers saw great interests from members of the public who were very intrigued and fascinated by the pods operating around the park and its unique shape. In general, the public had shown real positive attitude towards autonomous pods despite the high uncertainty in terms of technology development, regulations and safety issues. They felt it was great for the elderly and people with mobility issues to circulate around the park more independently. They also felt the pod would be safer than human driven vehicles, as long as it doesn’t interact with other human driven vehicles. However, we also learnt that there are gaps in knowledge as to the public’s understanding of the vehicle’s reaction if something goes wrong. This has steered us to provide more evidence, reports, data after the trial to support public awareness and perception.

These are just some of the many lessons learnt from the trial and shared across key partners from our consortium post-trial review workshop. This exercise has helped us shape the development of requirements for use cases, driverless technology, business models and a regulatory blueprint. Trial 2 has helped to build a platform for a more ambitious Trial 4 at QEOP in the new year to cover a larger area of the park and provide a service to meet more genuine park use cases (e.g. commuting across the park, full mobility service, as well as demonstrating dual mode technology both off-road and on-road.

We are now planning and developing specifications for our upcoming trials including removing the safety steward from the vehicle, identifying and navigating the best routes, integrating a fleet management system with a ride-hailing app, testing for inclusions in the safety case, adjustments to vehicles and further develop the evidence-based business model framework and economic impact assessment for the roll out of pods.

Safety first – CAV trials and the importance of a robust safety case

As we are fast approaching the UK Government’s target to deploy autonomous vehicles on our roads by 2021, it’s no surprise that organisations, companies and Innovate UK projects are hitting the accelerator to trial their technology as quickly as possible.

I know speed is needed to ensure the UK remains at the forefront of this technology and can reap the societal benefits as soon as possible but organisations running these trials must balance commercial interest against the need for the highest safety standards. Coming from an insurer, you’d expect my focus to be on safety, but it is also vital to creating consumer trust in CAV technology.

So how does a trial operator or project ensure high safety standards are being met? The key is to have a robust safety case – a document produced by a trial operator which identifies all relevant risks and hazards, how they will be mitigated and any controls that will be applied. A strong safety case protects every person and vehicle in the trial environment and builds trial operator expertise to deliver effective and safe trials, which will ultimately lead to safer vehicles on UK roads.

There are helpful government guidelines out there to aid trial operators and manufactures in putting together a high standard safety case, such as the ‘Code of Practice: Automated vehicle trialling’ (February 2019) but there is currently…and perhaps surprisingly…no legislation in place to ensure the highest safety standards are met.

Over the summer, as the Capri project has been gearing up for trials, I’ve seen first-hand how much work goes into preparing for testing and creating a safety case for this type of trial. I thought it might be helpful to share some of the tips I’ve discussed with the Capri team, which build on government’s existing guidance, so organisations can ensure their safety cases meet the highest standards. So here are my top six points to remember when you are conducting your TRIALS.

1. Training

CAV trials have two key safety roles that both require specialist training: Stewards who perform the role of a safety driver and Marshals, who provide correct instruction to passengers and the general public.

Stewards must hold a valid UK driving licence and have specialist training to operate the vehicle in all anticipated circumstances including manual and autonomous operations. Stewards are the ‘first response’ to any incident or emergency and they must always prioritise passenger and pedestrian safety. Marshals, who must also undertake a shorter training course, are responsible for monitoring a CAV by roaming on foot or bicycle over longer distances and will provide key information to stewards, pedestrians and other relevant stakeholders.  

2. Risk assessment

Trial operators must carry out a thorough risk assessment – and there are a number of potential hazards for CAV trials. Whilst it’s crucial to identify risks e.g. pedestrians or cyclists in the trial environment, in the safety case you must also detail the measures to mitigate the risk e.g. marshals on the day of the trial and prior communication of the trial taking place.

3. Independent review

Commercial interest must be balanced during the safety case process, and the only way this can be fully achieved, is to involve an independent party to review the safety case who can ensure there is full compliance with guidelines and that no corners have been cut. Without independent review, there is a clear conflict of interest putting at risk the safety of those involved in the trial and the standard of safety of the technology long term.

4. Appropriate cover

Trialling any CAV technology must be compliant with UK laws, therefore appropriate insurance cover is required for both the activity and the environment the vehicle will be used in. The information provided in the safety case gives insurers the ability to create a realistic valuation of risk and allows insurers to understand that appropriate mitigation measures have been taken. Policyholders and trial operators must also be aware of their general duties to take ‘reasonable precautions’ to prevent injury, loss or damage resulting from a CAV trial.

5. Liaise

No CAV operates in a vacuum – they will be part of a much wider ecosystem. Whilst this might not be the case for a trial environment, there are still a huge number of stakeholders to liaise with to ensure high safety standards such as land/site owners, other road users, manufacturers, public authorities and insurers. Trial organisations should maintain a high level of engagement throughout the trial activity including through the publication of the safety case. Continuous and transparent communication can help to educate and inform road users whilst instilling trust in public CAV trials.

6. Standards

Manufacturers should always aim to maximise the functionality of the vehicle and ensure it can be evidenced that the technical components meet high standards. Ensuring vehicle functionality must be a strategic process in which the vehicle operates effectively when tested against the original design. Verification and validation activities, gathering real-world evidence and identifying safety requirements are all vital elements of this process, as ways to evidence that the vehicle can meet the sufficient standards in the defined operating environment.

I think collaboration and best practice sharing is a great starting point to assist trial operators. For those currently involved in CAV projects or running trials, I hope these tips ensure your safety case is of the highest standard.

 

 

Local authority sees opportunity in innovation cluster and cross-cutting technologies

On a pleasant but subdued day in June, South Gloucestershire Council hosted the CAV Cohort event, organised by KTN for IUK/C-CAV. The venue was anything but – being unofficially referred to as the Concorde Museum but more formally, as Aerospace Bristol. It was absolutely fitting then this event took place six months after the last CAV Cohort in December 2018, which also happened to have a Concorde on location. It might be slightly trickier to hold the next one on a runway at Heathrow if the organisers are looking for a hattrick of Concorde’s!

However, there is a bit of a logic chain here: namely innovation. It’s the 50th anniversary of Concorde’s maiden flight this year and arguably, the first anniversary of the CAPRI Pod built by Westfield Technologies that was trialled at Filton Airfield – on the very same runway Concorde took off from all those decades ago. Even though it’s only been a year since the first CAPRI trial, the aptly named Brabazon Pod (the Brabazon aircraft was developed in Filton nearly a century ago) is flying the flag for not only the CAPRI project and it’s nationwide collective of partners (some of which are part of the Venturer Alliance) but also the West of England Region, at the Science Museum, at the time of writing.

Capri pod being displayed at the London Science Museum as part of the ‘Driverless: who is in control?’ exhibition.

Following the June CAV Cohort, there was keen interest from a number of local CAV specialists to form a West of England CAV Cluster. A round table was hosted by the West of England Combined Authority soon after and what emerged was an opportunity to feed into the Zenzic UK Test Bed infographic, which currently focusses on the London-Midland corridor. The $64,000 question is not why our region does not feature in the current Zenzic UK Test Bed portfolio but what our region has to actually offer. Based on the attendees to the inaugural WoE CAV Cluster round table, quite a bit in fact.

The immediate future opportunity is of course for deploying and implementing CAV technology in two specific initiatives: to test our own capabilities and help develop new ones. The first is a potential Future Mobility Zone and the second, an Industrial Internet of Things wireless R&D network, which can support vehicle to infrastructure connectivity. It is hoped that updates can be provided for both in the coming months but in the meantime, the region is already moving forward with a collective group of CAV expertise that can support OEMs, Tier 1s and SMEs with developing technology, right here in the West of England. Innovation Hubs such as Bristol Robotics Lab and University of Bristol’s 5G Communications Lab are ready to mobilise whilst the likes of Burges Salmon, can provide legal insight.

It’s an exciting time for the region primarily because the Local Industrial Strategy was launched in July and it features Connected and Automated Mobility as an opportunity to exploit cross-cutting technologies and clusters through creative collisions (metaphorically speaking in the instance of connected and automated vehicles of course!). With the imminent appointment of an Innovation and Cluster Development lead, the West of England Combined Authority is strategically placed to facilitate collaboration, for the region to compete globally. We are also excited to be working closely with Highways England and FiveAi, who are integral to the WoE CAV Cluster.

Looking to the future South Gloucestershire Council and AECOM will shortly scope and procure an economic impact assessment, investigating how a shared autonomous shuttle service could support the local and regional economy.  The work will test at a strategic level how greater access to last mile services could provide greater accessibility to public transport hubs, better connecting the region and supporting clean growth as set out in the recent local industrial strategy.  We look forward to undertaking this work and feeding the findings back through a subsequent blog – watch this space!

 

Talking with the public, why it is important and what have we found out so far?

This blog post explores research activity with the public that has been taking place in CAPRI over the last eighteen months, and which will continue through to the end of the project in 2020.

It is critical to the success of projects looking at future mobility solutions (such as CAPRI) to engage with, and involve those who will be potential users. By challenging people to think about how and where they might use a shuttle service, and reflecting on their views on autonomy more widely, CAPRI will have a better opportunity to shape the deployment of driverless technology and of a new way of providing mobility.

Gauging the range of views of a diverse public has been integral to CAPRI from the outset, being one of three inter-related and connected themes around the use of autonomous shuttle vehicles that underpin the project. These themes are to

  • better understand the ‘business case’ for such services (discussed in the earlier Capri blog),
  • explore technical innovation necessary to deploy and operate shuttle services, and
  • consider what users will expect and want from such a service (the subject of this blog post).

For a novel mobility service like the Capri shuttle, a critical component of any business case will be a clear understanding of what different groups of people want in respect of services and their interaction with the technology across the whole journey experience. Answering this challenge provided the CAPRI researchers with a range of questions that it seemed important to think about at the start of the project (see Fig 1) – although in public-facing research, it is always important to remain open to new topics and perspectives which may emerge.

Figure 1 – User engagement research questions

Beginning with these questions, the research team (led by academics from the University of the West of England) has facilitated a series of activities with the public, including focus groups, consumer surveys and a one-day event co-designing and co-creating a vision of how shuttle services might work. All these activities offer great opportunities to understand the views of those who are not experts in mobility or technology, but who might use such solutions in everyday life.

The rest of this blog post reports on some of the findings so far, and highlight some areas where there are still questions to be answered, or addressed in more depth during the remainder of the project.

1. Focus groups

The first public research happened in early 2018, talking to people in focus groups and at an event at a school. The focus groups were themed around potential locations for shuttle services: recruiting shoppers at a mall, rail passengers, staff at a university campus and people in a rural area. The school pupils came from a school specialising in technology, who were also interested in finding out more about autonomous vehicles.

Amongst the results from this engagement were a series of high-level aspirations for shuttle services (see Fig 2). Whilst participants in this kind of research rarely speaker with just a single voice, a particularly strong message was that potential users were looking for something futuristic that was visibly using new technology.

Figure 2 – Focus group high-level aspirations

As well as these aspirations, people told us they wanted a shuttle service to be:

  • Easy to use. It should be easy to interact with the service and vehicles. This might be in respect of hailing, choice of route, paying for the service and accessing help and support. All of these elements should be intuitive and simple to use!
  • Integrated. Shuttles should integrate seamlessly with other modes of transport, and ideally be compatible with existing journey planners and ticketing.
  • Safe and secure. Any service should be safe, secure and trusted. Importantly, people extended this to include being safe for other road users, including cyclists and pedestrians.
  • Comfortable. Vehicles should be comfortable, with enough space (including for luggage), and where a shuttle is shared then it needs to be big enough so that personal space needs are respected.
  • Reliable. Services need to be reliable and dynamic, with short waiting times. Vehicle location and arrival time should always be available, and sharing a journey should not add to journey times.
  • Personalised. A shuttle journey ought to be personalised and personalise-able, perhaps using account-based services so that vehicles can implement user preferences automatically.

2. Co-design workshop

The focus groups provided a great start to the user research within Capri, and helped to identify and refine questions which were then considered further in a ‘co-design’ day held in Bristol during March 2018. This brought together over sixty participants – old and young, male and female, from a wide range of backgrounds, who had volunteered to give up most of a Saturday to help us explore specific elements of the design of a shuttle service. Experts from partners in the CAPRI research consortium (drawn from industry and academia), helped the participants in activities across the day. In common with other public engagement, the co-design event provided some information to people (about driverless vehicles, and shuttle services) as well as asking for ideas and opinions. In this instance, there was information about the Westfield pod, the autonomous vehicles being trialled in the Capri project. So, although discussions were not restricted to any specific design, it is likely that participants referred to the information shared about the CAPRI vehicle when visualising the future.

Participants formed themselves into groups, and looked at all the different elements of a shuttle service. These groups then competed against each other to design and narrate the story of a future shuttle service – and its use. This is where people fired up their creativity and imagination, and a wide range of materials (from construction toys to pens, paper and cardboard) were available for the teams to use in their visualisation of the future. As well as being highly engaging for participants, the workshop activities also generated lots of material for later analysis. What emerged from this was a vision of future shuttle services that embraced three key areas:

Figure 3 – Co-design workshop high-level vision

Not surprisingly, there was a clear interest in embracing current and emerging technologies, with people again asking for a futuristic solution – delivering what was science fiction just fifty years ago. What is also interesting though is that participants saw the arrival of a new technological solution as an opportunity to re-write what they perceived as the problems of transport more widely. In other words, providing an inclusive, integrated set of mobility solutions – and in an environmentally sustainable way. Our participants also think that well-planned and operated mobility solutions can help create better places to live and work, and foster greater community cohesion in those places. Beyond these broad aspirations for shuttle services, the workshop also focussed on the comfort and usability of shuttle vehicles. As in the vision above, some of these ideas address issues experienced currently in both public and private modes of transport.

Live trials

In the summer of 2018, the Capri project was able to run a series of trials with a live driverless vehicle, on the former Filton airfield near Bristol. From the many that applied, fifty-six people (some of whom had been involved in earlier research activity with Capri) were able to experience a series of trips in a shuttle around a predetermined route laid out on a secure, fenced-off area of disused runway. Trial volunteers were a mix of age groups (average age around fifty), both male and female. Each person spent around 30 minutes travelling in the Pod, always with another volunteer, a safety driver and a researcher – replicating to an extent the experience of travelling in a shuttle with strangers. All of the public participants travelled at two different speeds and sat facing forwards and backwards in the vehicle to experience a range of conditions. They completed questionnaires before and after the trials, and gave feedback on their experience after each of their four runs.

During the two week trial at Filton airfield, the pods’ safety critical features were assessed along with participant comfort testing.

The trials allowed the team to explore issues such as trust in the vehicle, whether people experienced nausea (mostly they did not), and whether they were happy sharing with strangers (in these particular circumstances they were). Post-trial statistical analysis found a link between both the speed of the vehicle and the way people were facing, with their levels of trust. This suggests that these will be important factors to consider in future trials, and any eventual deployment. Much of the other data collected during the trial was technical in nature and will appear in technical reports and publications from the project.

Use cases

Following on from the discussion of ‘business cases’ in the earlier blog, the user research has now started engagement activity at potential Capri deployment sites. For example, the research team has been quizzing existing travellers at an airport, and a university campus (located on the edge of an urban centre) about how they would want such a service to operate, and if they would use it. As in earlier activities, this was an opportunity to think about ‘trust’ in driverless vehicles – acknowledged to be a key factor in their adoption. Through questionnaires deployed in both locations, people were asked to rate their current level of trust in an autonomous Pod being able to respond to events – on a scale 0 (no trust) to 10 (complete trust). The results showed more trust at the airport location than the university, but in both locations more people trusted the vehicle than did not. Only a few people at each location had no trust at all! There was also a readiness to use a shuttle at both sites, with 61% of those at the university, and almost 90% of those at the airport saying they would use a driverless shuttle to make their current journey.

The questionnaires also allowed the project to ask people again about the features and functions of a shuttle service. The most important request here was ‘sufficient space’; that vehicles would be big enough for a group or family. The second most important factor was that the vehicles would feature screens that would allow you to explore information pertinent to your destination (e.g. check-in details, train times).

Future research to help refine understanding of public acceptance of shuttles

Our research to date with members of the public has provided a wealth of data, which is beginning to shape how an autonomous pod-based shuttle service might provide mobility in and around a site like an airport. It has also provided a broader vision of how a future driverless pod-based mobility service might evolve. However, there are still questions that need further exploration. In areas such as how the service will operate, will it be ‘good value’, and what is it about a pod shuttle that might be different to travel in other types of (autonomous) vehicle. Another important topic to get more feedback on will be how shuttle might interact with other people in the same space – will they just stop if someone walks in front, for example?

Figure 4 – Questions needing further research

These questions and many other issues that emerge from our research to date will help inform the remaining CAPRI activities, including further public trials of live vehicles, as well as contributing to wider understanding of the acceptability of autonomous vehicles.

We look forward to sharing full results from this ongoing work with the wider public in 2020.