After a long testing process, the autonomous vehicle is now up and running on the South Philly campus.
Bright and early on a Tuesday morning, this reporter started her day being driven around by a robot.
Almost exactly two years after it was announced, the Philadelphia Navy Yard’s autonomous shuttle pilot has started operating, transporting guests and employees around the South Philly campus.
The self-driving shuttle felt like any other bus, stopping and starting smoothly (ok, maybe not like most other buses…) at all intersections. It automatically halts at each designated stop on its route, and automatically slows down if it senses vehicles, bicycles or pedestrians swerving around it.
The ride was narrated by Nick Pilipowskyj, VP of operations with Perrone Robotics, who explained all the shuttle’s features and noted when the vehicle was driving itself or when an operator was taking over — yes, there’s also a person in the front seat.
“Especially in bounded zones like this, with medium to large size shuttles and public transit” autonomous vehicles make sense, Pilipowskyj told Technical.ly. “I think the possibilities are endless. I think there’s a great market for it. And I think that we’re proving here and in some other places that the safety case is not too far off.”
This is billed as Pennsylvania’s first all-electric AV shuttle project.
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