The Hi-Drive project had an extensive 3-day meeting above the Arctic Circle in Olos, Finland
In that freezing yet breathtaking extreme environment in Lapland, the ‘work package’ and ‘sub-project’ leaders met between January 30th and February 3rd, 2023 in order to present, discus and recalibrate on the projects progress.
Now that the Hi-Drive projects AVs are successively equipped with newly implemented Enabler Technologies and hitting the roads for data collection, that meeting also launched a series of planned roadshows.
All participants had the unique opportunity to experience firsthand the challenges of Automated Driving in adverse Arctic weather conditions on board fully equipped research vehicles. With the VTTs research scientists and hosts at the helm of the experience, no question remained unanswered on the specific work and trials conducted here towards further extending the ODD of Automated Driving.
The specific "Rural Chauffeur" scenario developed in collaboration with Bosch, showcased Enabler Technologies relying on the vehicle's internet and mobile network connectivity (4G/5G) allowing for the integration of cloud based 'HotSpot MapCloud' software and 'Landmark Signature Recognition Maps' that use artificial landmarks when lane markings are not visible.
Among other highlights were free driving on rural (two-lane) roads without lane markings and in urban areas at up to 50 km/h on a defined public testing road in nearby Muonio, border crossing into Sweden and a guided visit of the Lapland Proving Ground testing area.
EICT is in charge of the overall coordination and management of the Hi-Drive project and leads its Outreach efforts. In that capacity, it is responsible for managing the large-scale demonstration campaign (from concept development to implementation) and was tasked with filming the meeting and producing a clip which will be published in the near future on the Hi-Drive website, its social media channels and further disseminated by the project partners.