For the primary time in Korea, Rideflux operates an autonomous vehicle after receiving permission for unmanned test operation from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Ride Flux (CEO Park Joong-hee), an organization specializing in fully autonomous driving, announced on the twelfth that it has received temporary permission to operate a ‘driverless self-driving automotive’ that doesn’t have a security guard in the motive force’s seat. It is claimed to be the primary in Korea to acquire a driverless autonomous driving permit that may drive as much as 50 km/h with no safety officer in the motive force’s seat.
Ride Flux passed the unmanned autonomous driving performance evaluation on the autonomous driving experimental city (K-City) situated in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do in December of last 12 months, and received permission for unmanned test operation from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport after additional review of this 12 months’s protected operation plan. Obtaining an unmanned permit requires a high level of technical stability and reliability, including response to surrounding vehicles and pedestrians, external collisions and communication failures, and vehicle system failure.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport revised related permit regulations in March 2021 to advertise test operations of unmanned autonomous vehicles, and thru these regulations, test operations exceeding 10 km/h could be conducted in a ‘driverless’ state with no person in the motive force’s seat. Rideflux is the primary to receive permission for autonomous driving. In the USA, Google Waymo began a public unmanned self-driving service within the Phoenix, Arizona area in October 2020 and is currently expanding driverless operation throughout the USA, including San Francisco and LA.
After moreover completing its own safety verification, Rideflux plans to start unmanned test operations with a 5-seat passenger vehicle in Sangam, Seoul inside this 12 months.
The operating section is a 3.2km circular course inside the Sangam autonomous driving test zone and includes crosswalk intersections and non-signalized roundabouts. With a purpose to prioritize the protection of road users, including surrounding vehicles and pedestrians, the test operation will likely be conducted in stages to avoid peak rush hour traffic within the early stages of the test operation.
Park Joong-hee, CEO of Rideflux, said, “By obtaining a driverless permit, we’ll prove our software technology at a worldwide level and lead the commercialization of unmanned autonomous driving within the domestic market,” adding, “As the protection of road users, reminiscent of surrounding vehicles and pedestrians, is more vital than anything, we’ll develop our technology.” “We’ll do our greatest to make sure operational stability.”
Reporter Park Soo-bin sbin08@aitimes.com
