Coventry-based Aurrigo (www.aurrigo.com), a pioneering manufacturing specialist, has unveiled Australia’s first-ever driverless mobility service in a ‘retirement village’ (in collaboration with Regional Development Australia).

The autonomous-vehicle trial at the Elliot Gardens retirement village (at Port Elliot) is expected to show how this technology can deliver improved mobility for the 330 residents living in 194 villa homes in the 27-hectare village.

Aurrigo’s battery-powered PodZero driverless vehicles operate autonomously at speeds up to 24kph and can seat up to four passengers.

South Australian House of Assembly member David Basham, who officially launched the trial, said: “I’m very pleased that our community has been selected to undertake this trial.

“It’s not always easy for older residents to get around, so it makes perfect sense to use advanced technology to improve their mobility and quality of life. I’m confident that the residents of Elliot Gardens will embrace this amazing technology.”

Aurrigo director Roger van der Lee said: “This trial will provide user feedback on the real-life experience of an autonomous mobility service and the performance of the pod, which will contribute to future service and technical developments.

“Our aim is to improve the quality of life by providing a mobility service, which enables social interaction in every community where we operate.”