May Mobility was one of the companies that responded to a Request for Expressions of Interest. Representatives from the company were on hand at City Hall to show off the capabilities of one of the autonomous vehicles from its fleet.
The vehicles, equipped with seven cameras and nine radar sensors, are programmed with simulation software known as Multi Policy Decision Making, or MPDM, that helps them navigate the most challenging traffic situations and remain steps ahead of other drivers, said Nathan Sunbury, a field autonomy engineer at May Mobility.
The "brain" of the vehicle processes multiple possible driving scenarios per second to help the vehicle know where it's at and "what's going on in the world," Sunbury said.
"There's so many things that might happen. A kid might run out after a ball into the road. A cyclist might come down the wrong way. There's no way to program in every single scenario that you might see while driving," he said. "But what our technology does is it gives our vehicle an imagination. There's all these things that you don't even necessarily consciously think about while you're driving a car that these shuttles have to be able to handle. Our shuttle handles that very elegantly."
The demonstration was part of a project announced earlier this year by state and local officials for a micro-transit system that will eventually provide Trentonians with access to a cheaper, on-demand option.
Trenton was awarded $5 million for Trenton Mobility & Opportunity: Vehicles Equity System (MOVES), which aims to deploy about 100 autonomous vehicles for more than 90,000 city residents, nearly three-quarters of whom don't have reliable access to cars.
The project is being developed by DOT, Trenton, Princeton University and Gov. Phil Murphy's office.
"As Trenton moves, the world improves," said Alain Kornhauser, a professor at the Ivy League school who has been instrumental in prodding along the futuristic project. "This is an opportunity for Trenton to lead the world."
The hope is that in a couple years riders will summon fully electric, self-driven mini-buses through a smartphone app or from one of 60 kiosks that officials plan to install across Trenton.
"We're excited about this project. We're at the ground floor," Mayor Reed Gusciora said.
Daisy Wall, the director of policy and advocacy at May Mobility, said her company's award-winning technology has already been deployed in nine other cities throughout the U.S.. including Arlington, Texas.
It has the capacity to turn Trenton into the "poster child for autonomy," she said.
For the first couple years, hosts would remain onboard the 100-vehicle fleet to welcome passengers and serve as backup drivers in case of emergencies. They'll be trained on how to use the autonomous vehicles and must pass manual and AV driving qualifications tests and behavioral evaluations, according to the state officials.
"We'd love to start here and do a great job," Wall said. "I would like to say try it. I would encourage people to come out, ask questions, give us feedback. Every city has new challenges. Every city is a little different."
© 2022 The Trentonian, Trenton, N.J. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
