ROBUSTA develops novel approaches to the transportation automatisation. The project will test and study technologies that enable to remove the human operator from the bus and to put him in the control room responsible of multiple buses. Key objective is to create a remote drive system that allows the use of semi-autonomous buses, and later other autonomous vehicles in urban traffic conditions.

Specific research and development themes include software platform for remote control of robot buses, 5G network as an enabler technology, real-time sensor data, AI assisted human-machine communication, development of remote control room, in addition to exploring how autonomous vehicles could be fitted to existing mobility ecosystem, what the future business potentials are and assessing the user experience of both passengers and remote operators.

Specific attention will be put on the development of remote operation systems and interfaces that are easy and intuitive for humans to operate, and yet reliable and robust enough to provide the necessary functionality and safety.