© Monique Theisen
On Tuesday, CFL launched its first driverless shuttle service, named Ohmio, in Belval.
The Ohmio shuttles can reach a maximum speed of 25 km/h, and their route is pre-programmed. Carlo Hansen, head of CFL bus services, explains how the company is taking cybersecurity seriously, as the shuttles originate on the other side of the world.
"The hardware is from New Zealand, but the software was developed with engineers in Luxembourg, to programme the circuit, analysing different situations, but always in collaboration with engineers in New Zealand."
The shuttles are not intended to replace buses, but to provide additional capacity, Hansen says. For now, a safety driver is on board every shuttle in case of an emergency. One such driver, Eric Back, explains:
"My job is to accompany on every route, watching the traffic situation and intervening in the event a situation crops up which was not foreseen in the programme, such as a parked car, or unexpected items underfoot.The difference to a regular bus driver is that I'm not driving alone, I'm watching over the whole thing."
This job requires specialised training.
"I spent 29 years driving buses for CFL and then I switched to coaching. Then spots on the shuttles came up, and we were given training by Ohmio. Their staff explained to us how the shuttle works, and how to operate it. We spent a good long time learning these things and testing the shuttles out."
The route across Belval is slightly more complicated due to challenges such as 30 km/h zones, narrow roads and so on. Testing was conducted for 18 months in all weather conditions, using all potential scenarios. The safety measures involved are so stringent, that the shuttle would brake completely even if a pigeon flew in front of the windscreen.
In order for this to function, the shuttle must have a fully stable GPS connection at all times. This was not always a simple matter in Esch-sur-Alzette, says project manager Dinis de Oliveira:
"In Belval we encountered many issues getting a full GPS signal to ensure the shuttle didn't veer two metres to the side, for example, due to the rail network and the tall buildings. We spoke to Ohmio and found a new system using photos they had taken, to keep the shuttle on the planned route in places where the signal drops."
The shuttles use AI, preloaded by the technical team in advance. The whole route, including speed limits, is programmed ahead of time, which means that the engineers have to manually update the information in the event that new routes are added. Issues such as red lights and unexpected obstacles are recognised by the shuttle in time to adapt.
