Coventry-based technology specialist Aurrigo (www.aurrigo.com) recently collaborated with two US firms to show how self-driving pods can be used to deliver smart, on-demand, automated and zero-carbon ‘last-mile mobility’.

The company, which employs over 80 people at its ‘state of the art’ engineering centre and three technical/sales offices (in Australia, Canada and the USA), has worked with Comet Mobility and Via to equip three ‘Pod Zero’ vehicles with the latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology from Meridian.

As a result, the Comet Mobility Experience was unveiled at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas earlier this month. Delegates at the show had the chance to experience a ride in the UK-built
autonomous pod.

There were three destinations available, and the passengers were asked to choose which location they wanted to go to first, allowing Pod Zero to make a real-time voice-activated decision about where to go, using ride-sharing technology developed by Via.

During the journey, the passengers could ask questions about the weather, the destinations and the partners or ask the pod to tell a joke.

Miles Garner, sales and marketing director of Aurrigo, which is the autonomous-vehicle division of RDM Group, said: “This is the first time our autonomous pods have been equipped with the latest AI technology, which has been designed to learn more with less data.

"The idea behind the project was to highlight how UK and US firms can collaborate to create a smart, automated and zero-carbon ‘last-mile mobility’ solution.

“Teaming up with Comet Mobility and aligning with Via is a major milestone for our business and highlights how far we have come with our autonomous pods and software platforms.

“CES is the biggest innovation show in the world, so it was a fantastic showcase for this partnership.”