Aurrigo: ‘Elliot’ autonomous vehicle trial
Project Overview
To investigate the market viability of autonomous vehicles in the retirement village context, Aurrigo, in collaboration with Regional Development Australia, launched a trial at the Lendlease owned Elliot Gardens retirement village at Port Elliot (South Australia).
The trial was supported by the Government of South Australia Department of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure (DPTI), and the Alexandrina Council, as part of the South Australian Government’s Future Mobility Lab Fund, which aims to encourage and stimulate developments in connected and autonomous vehicles and position South Australia at the forefront of these emerging technologies.
Aurrigo is a leading manufacturer of driverless vehicle technologies based in the UK with offices in the US, Canada and Australia.
One of Aurrigo’s three Adelaide based podzero vehicles which have been operating since late 2017 at the Tonsley Innovation District as part of the South Australian government’s Future Mobility Lab Fund program was assigned to the trial.
The battery powered podzero, Elliot, operated autonomously through multiple sensor technologies with speeds of up to 10 km/h through the village and had capacity for four passengers. Elliot was available on various routes Monday to Friday 9am – 4pm (excluding public holidays) throughout the village to make accessing the pod easier for residents.
To take a ride, residents could hail Elliot at the community centre or when it was passing, by SMS or phone.
“The team at the Global Centre for Modern Ageing® displayed the highest levels of professionalism, commitment and rigour to our autonomous vehicle project. There were many and varied stakeholders and the research team took a lead role in communicating with those stakeholders. The GCMA team displayed not only a high level of research capability but took a genuine interest in the customers’ experience and responses in the trial.”
The Trial
The Global Centre for Modern Ageing® (GCMA) conducted independent research on the resident mobility behaviour information and user feedback of the autonomous mobility service and the usage of the pod, which it is hoped will contribute to Aurrigo’s future service and technical developments.
The aim of the research was to assist Aurrigo to develop a service which enhances mobility and social interaction in every community where they operate.
Outcomes
The research project provided evidence that there is considerable scope to increase the participant uptake of an autonomous vehicle trial.
Based on the findings presented in the full report, we provided recommendations for Aurrigo to consider for future trials.
Media Coverage
20 August 2019 : The Journal of Active Ageing : Autonomous vehicles: Driving independence, mobility and wellness in active-ageing communities
16 July 2019 Auto Futures : Mobility For All – A Special Report on Autonomous Vehicles And Accessibility
11 July 2019 Aged Care Insite : South Australia leading the way in aged care innovation
11 July 2019 Weekender Herald : Look! No Hands
28 June 2019 5MU Radio : What will the future of aged care look like?
11 June 2019 Victor Harbor Times : Driverless vehicle trial at Elliot Gardens has come to a close
26 Apr 2019 The Senior : Driverless vehicle trial underway at Lendlease Elliot Gardens retirement village
22 Apr 2019 Downsizing Australia : Meet Elliot: a robotic car driving SA’s ageing services innovation push
10 Apr 2019 Brand SA : SA a testbed for modern ageing solutions
9 Apr 2019 Today Tonight SA : The retirement village on the south coast that's proving age is no barrier when it comes to new technology.
8 Apr 2019 Manufacturing and Engineering Magazine UK: Coventry manufacturer launches driverless mobility service.
8 Apr 2019 B Daily News UK : Coventry autonomous specialist launches Australia’s first retirement village driverless mobility service
8 Apr 2019 Smart Highways UK : Aurrigo launches Australia ’s first retirement village driverless mobility service
5 Apr 2019 BQ Live UK : Coventry autonomous specialist launches Australia’s first retirement village driverless mobilty service
2 Apr 2019 The Weekly Source : Driverless car service launches at regional SA retirement village
More Information
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