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Self-driving bus demonstration experiment: Articulated bus running on public roads begins in Higashihiroshima City for the first time in Japan

On the November 7th, Higashihiroshima City and JR West began demonstration experiments on public roads in the city for automated driving without driver control.

Related organizations such as Higashihiroshima City and JR West have begun demonstration experiments with the aim of introducing BRT (Bus Rapid Transit System) in the city in order to solve problems with public transportation such as a shortage of drivers. In the demonstration experiment, an articulated bus that looks like two buses connected and a large bus were part of a roughly 12-kilometer route connecting JR Saijo Station and Hiroshima University, and were operated by “autonomous driving” without the driver operating the vehicle, checking if it can run safely. Furthermore, in anticipation of mass transportation, we will also conduct “platooning”, where a large bus follows behind an articulated bus.

On the first day of the experiment, the bus was driven manually without using the automatic driving function, with the driver checking the route and having the system installed on the bus learn road information. Starting from the second day, autonomous driving will take place on part of the route, and according to JR and other sources, this will be the first time in Japan that autonomous articulated buses will run on public roads.

Higashihiroshima City Regional Policy Division Manager, Ume Takamasa said, “We want to work to make the means of transportation more comfortable for citizens, and to quickly realize a brighter society.”

JR West Innovation Headquarters, Hajime Kondo said, “We would like to proceed with the experiment with safety in mind, so that it becomes an example of how public transportation can be used safely and comfortably.”

From around mid-January next year, The company will begin a demonstration run in which citizens will be able to test drive the vehicle, and will proceed with consideration for its introduction.

Original (Japanese): https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/f102e55219a65590e8143a65a3862ff61d28c2b4

Measuring the “sensitivity” of semi-autonomous vehicle crew members and pedestrians and analyzing interdependent behavior

Attachment 2 Information disclosure document on the homepage

Hiroshima University Traffic Engineering Laboratory Home Page

Research subject name: Measuring the “sensitivity” of semi-autonomous vehicle crew members and pedestrians and analyzing interdependent behavior

About self-driving bus running experiment

Hiroshima University and Chodai Co., Ltd., in cooperation with the ITS Service Advancement Organization, will run self-driving cars on public roads (expressways) in the Kinki region for five days from September 21 to September 27, 2023. We will conduct a demonstration experiment. In conjunction with this, the Hiroshima University Traffic Engineering Laboratory will measure the psychological load on autonomous vehicle drivers using electroencephalograms and other equipment. Measured data will be used only for research purposes and will not be leaked to outside parties.

In addition, this self-driving car is equipped with various sensors such as GPS and driving recorders, but the image data that can be used to identify individuals is GPS data that shows the location and time of events such as sudden deceleration or lane changes. After verification, all information will be encrypted and immediately destroyed. Personal information from nearby vehicles is never used for analysis or stored.

If you have any questions, please contact us below.

Hiroshima University Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering

Traffic Engineering Laboratory Representative Akimasa Fujiwara

Email: asmo@hiroshima-u.ac.jp, Phone number: 082-424-6921

Original (Japanese): https://tsg.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/kansei-eng/

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