Driverless Tram Development Set to Begin in Cherepovets
Students from a local university will play an active role in the project.
A driverless tram project will get underway in Cherepovets, with members of the student design bureau at Cherepovets State University working alongside professionals from the city-owned Elektrotrans transit operator.
Mayor Andrey Nakroshaev said the project would give young professionals an opportunity to help tackle significant technology challenges. Students studying programming, physics and mathematics have already joined the project, along with security professionals.
One of the tram’s key features is expected to be its ability to operate without a satellite signal. The information it needs to navigate will instead come from machine vision.
“The work will proceed in several stages: first, a prototype bogie will be built, followed by a tram model and then an automated control system for the vehicle. We plan to present the first results by the end of the next academic year. Longer term, we plan to conduct tests on tram tracks,” Nakroshaev said.
