Driven remotely by a human, the driverless electric car rental service, Fetch, already allows the first robotaxis to be rented in the United Kingdom. This is how this curious autonomous car service works.
Fetch, a innovative driverless car rental service, has been launched in the UK by British startup Imperium Drive. Unlike autonomous vehicles, Fetch uses human operators in a remote location to pilot its fleet of electric cars to customers, providing a driverless vehicle experience.
In the initial phase, Fetch’s cars They are delivered with a “safety driver” sitting behind the wheel, able to take control of the vehicle if necessary. However, the company has plans to move to the fully remote driving after 18 months of testing.
Koosha Kaveh, CEO of Imperium Drive, stated: “It doesn’t have a driver, but it’s not autonomous, yet. There is still a human involved, but he is sitting in a control center piloting the vehicle, just as he would with a drone.”. According to Imperium Drive, its Fetch system has driven more than 1,600 kilometers without a collision during testing in Milton Keynes.
The rental process through Fetch is simple. Customers can request a robotaxi through the Fetch app, available on the App Store and Google Play.
The vehicle is remotely piloted to the customer’s location. At the end of the rental period, a remote operator can take control of the car and drive it to the next customer or return it to the base for charging.
Operators who control cars remotely have a 360-degree view of the road thanks to in-vehicle cameras and computer vision algorithms.
The setup resembles that of racing simulators, with a cockpit-like gaming chair, four monitor screens, and driving peripherals such as a steering wheel.
At the moment, fetch It has a fleet of only four robotaxis operating within a six kilometer radius from the center of Milton Keynes. However, the company is expected to expand to other regional centers, such as luton and northamptonIn the near future, as reported by Top Gear.
Although Fetch introduces himself as the world’s first driverless car rental service, it is important to note that autonomous robotaxis services have been being tested in cities all over the planet. In this regard, Uber recently announced a partnership with Waymo to bring autonomous taxis to Phoenix, Arizona, later this year.
Concerns around road safety
The introduction of Fetch raises road safety concerns. Some experts fear that the experience of driving a remote vehicle could distance the driver from the potential consequences, similar to a video game.
Simon Williams, RAC spokesman for road safety, expressed concern that the remote driver, despite having a reasonable view of the road, is disconnected from the reality of actually being behind the wheel.
