last mile deliveries SAFE TO SHARE THE ROAD WITH
The Kar-go’s design has the established UK automotive industry in its DNA and is manufactured by classic car experts, Pilgrim Motorsport under the supervision of former McLaren F1 designer, Paul Burgess. To ensure the safe transport of its
payload, the Kar-go not only has a driver in the initial trials but also the transmission allows for navigational movements to be conducted seamlessly by the onboard computer. The ultra-lightweight chassis is
surrounded by bumper sensors and high-performance cameras, capable of bringing the vehicle to a halt if any object enters its designated safety proximity. “In creating Kar-go, we wanted to
take advantage of the strength of British motoring heritage and design talent and combine this with the latest AI technology
to produce a vehicle which will deliver goods safely and sustainably,” Sachiti says.
As an entirely new vehicle type, the
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE The vehicle was able to perform these deliveries along pre-learned routes using modular driverless delivery technology. This combines continuous time recurrent neural networks (CTRNNs) with CNNs (convolutional neural networks) and long- short-term memory (LSTM), to create a highly evolved top-level controller system which can “learn” from the past, “perceive” its environment and make any necessary corrections. Kar-go’s unique combination of its Navigational
Freespace and PilotNet decision-making software means the vehicle can navigate safely in complex situations such as roundabouts and junctions, even without GPS. Also, unlike many autonomous vehicles, Kar-go can drive on un-marked roads making it perfect for solving the challenge of last mile deliveries in rural and suburban areas as well as urban environments. The vehicle uses a terrain-training approach to become an expert in its particular route so it can then focus on any abnormalities of that route.
SURREY TRIALS In late January, the design team began driving the Kar-go delivery bot in Surrey to scan the proposed delivery routes in preparation for using the vehicle to make semi-autonomous deliveries from mid- February. The AI has been designed with multiple fail-safe layers and, in line with current regulations for testing autonomous vehicles, there will be a safety driver in the vehicle at all times and the team will gradually increase the degree of autonomy used
❱❱ DVSA inspectors have certified the Kar-Go as suitable for use on UK roads
Kar-go has been assessed by the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and is now licensed to travel on the roads.
as the trials progress. In all cases, there will be the ability to control the vehicle remotely from a local command centre.
Commenting on the choice of Surrey for the latest trial, Sachiti says: “All too often new technology benefits only those living in cities and people living in more remote or suburban areas are left out. As a company founded in rural Aberystwyth, we were very conscious of this issue so we designed our AI to work where it could deliver the greatest benefit. So, the first areas we are rolling this out to are typical British suburban locations like Surrey.”
CARGO SYSTEM The patented package management system on the Kar-go includes the on-board storage and a customer mobile phone app. On the car, there are storage compartments for
❱❱ The high-technology pod is manufactured by Classic Car experts at Pilgrim Motorsport in Brighton
different packages that can automatically select the package belonging to each customer. The hatch at the back of the vehicle is unlocked using a token on the recipient’s phone when the car arrives. The secure system then selects and releases this recipient’s package only, preventing further access to any of the other packages. As the vehicle moves on, this complex robotic system then rearranges the packages ready for the next delivery. Being completely automatic, the system is
contactless. Despite the car having a safety driver during the trial phase, there is no interaction between the driver and the parcel recipient. The role of the driver during the trial is only to be a minder to the autonomous control systems. T&TH
March 2021 /// Testing & Test Houses /// 19
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