Watch: Abu Dhabi's self-driving ambitions target fast cars too

Abu Dhabi: After trucks and other heavy vehicles, Abu Dhabi is turning its ambitions in ‘autonomous driving’ – or self-driving as many would like to call it – to fast cars.

In fact, there is one Abu Dhabi based firm, VentureOne, which will be in the thick of the action.

“We have just announced that we are getting into fast cars – and provided our kits that have been adjusted to work in high-speed vehicles,” said Reda Nidhakou, acting CEO of VentureOne, which is the commercial arm of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council. (As the name suggests, ATRC immerses itself into wherever cutting-edge technology takes it, whether that’s to do with quantum computing and AI.)

“Soon, there is the second edition of the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL), and the drivers will be using our kitted out cars.

“This allows us to test our kits at higher speeds and in different conditions.”

VentureOne – through the startup SteerAI - has already put in the miles when it comes to recreating vehicles to drive autonomously – with limited involvement of a human being.  That’s exactly what will be replicated at the upcoming Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League.  

“By supplying our (retooling) kits, this actually allows us to test-proof what we provide in extreme speed conditions,” said Nidhakou. “As for the racing league promoters, it allows them to have sophisticated kits that the teams can build on and compete.

“Because in the future, the racing league will also expand beyond the UAE.”

Abu Dhabi and the UAE has laid the groundwork to build an autonomous driving foundation. This goes beyond refitting vehicles to operate on commands and build an internal ‘intelligence’ for the vehicles to decide for themselves how and where they should be driving.

There is so much at stake already.  

“A couple of years from now when technology matures from an autonomous driving perspective, we foresee Abu Dhabi and the broader UAE to be one of the drivers in adopting this kind of vehicles,” said Nidhakou.  

“We've already seen actual tests happening on Yas Island and elsewhere. We have seen a couple of contracts being signed with Uber, to operate robo-taxis in the UAE.
“We are seeing how these things are picking up in the US and China (in the self-driving space), and the UAE can be a fast-mover in bringing or developing such technologies much sooner than we think.”

Recently, Uber announced that it was rolling out robo-taxis in Abu Dhabi.

“While it won't happen overnight, we expect autonomous vehicles to be an increasingly important part of the transportation ecosystem - and therefore Uber's business over time,” said Frans Hiemstra, Regional General Manager Middle East & Africa at the ride-hailing firm Uber.

“Rather than build AVs ourselves, we've decided to bring AV developers’ fleets onto our network. As the largest mobility platform in the world, we are uniquely positioned to do this.

“There is simply no other network that can provide one stop access to a global marketplace across mobility, delivery, and freight.”

In January, Masdar City in Abu Dhabi confirmed plans to deploy a fleet of seven advanced AVs. This was after doing extensive tests using a shuttle-style electric vehicle equipped with advanced Lidar sensors, electronic components, and software that allows it to 'navigate obstacles, detect other vehicles, and drive independently'.

According to VentureOne's Nidhakou, “I have seen with my eyes, demos in China where autonomous vehicles operate without a safety driver who is controlling the vehicle in crowded and unpredictable environments. Now, those roads are mapped, but what you can't map is actually the traffic around you and the people circulating around you.

“But it is possible. I believe in the next few years, we will be in a situation where autonomous vehicles on the roads are operating without safety drivers and so on. Getting there takes steps.
“First, you need to drive the car by yourselves, with drivers on the roads to understand the roads.
“Second, you actually operate for a couple of months with the safety driver in the vehicle but not driving and who takes control at any point of time. Then, the next step is to put the safety driver outside of the car by putting him in the control tower.
“Are we there today? No, but we will get there...”