PSI Researches Automated Driving in Bus Depots with Partners in the IDEA Project
In the “Innovative Depot Automation (IDEA)” project, scientists from Dresden and Berlin will research the automated control of vehicles in bus depots and test and validate the solutions developed with real vehicles in a laboratory environment. PSI Transcom GmbH will focus on automated depot management, system integration and standardization.
Project manager Andreas Küster, from project coordinator MRK Management Consultants GmbH, explains:There are already a number of research projects on autonomous driving vehicles.
But they require elaborately equipped vehicles and expensive infrastructure, which is why it will take some time before they are fully implemented in practice. The IDEA project is intended to show how depot automation can already be realized today in a technically innovative way and with economically justifiable effort.
Another project partner is the Technical University of Dresden. The implementation of the research results should lead to vehicles being able to move automatically and in a self-coordinating manner to the locations provided by the depot management system, such as parking space, car wash, charging station or workshop, in the future. In addition to the reduction in personnel deployment, further consequential effects are expected, such as a higher effectiveness of operational processes and a reduction in infrastructure expenses. The aim is to standardize the system architecture and interfaces in order to achieve interoperability and economic reuse in future commercial applications.
The IDEA project has a duration of 21 months and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport with a total of three million euros as part of the “InnoNT” guideline for the promotion of innovative network technologies in mobile communications.
The PSI Group develops its own software products for optimizing the flow of energy and materials for utilities (energy grids, energy trading, public transport) and industry (metals production, automotive, mechanical engineering, logistics). The industry-specific products, which are built from standard components, are sold both directly and via the cloud-based PSI App Store and can also be customized by customers and partners themselves. PSI was founded in 1969 and employs more than 2,200 people worldwide.
This article was originally published by PSI Transcom.
