A large trial of driverless vehicles on public roads is due to begin in the UK later this month.
The Fetch cars trial will take place in Milton Keynes and will allow participants to order the vehicles using a special app.
The car, which is remotely controlled by a trained operator, will pick up the passenger and take them to their destination.
An image-detecting algorithm allows the vehicle to identify potential hazards around the car, but initially each car will also have a human safety driver who can take control in emergencies.
Koosha Kaveh, the CEO of Imperium Drive, the company behind the technology, described the vehicles as “driverless but not autonomous”.
He said that they were controlled in a similar way to drones by human operatives located in a control centre.
He added that the company was working on making this type of remote driving safer than regular driving.
The view of the remote pilot could eliminate the problem of blind spots experienced by drivers in a vehicle, as well as providing a wider view of traffic, pedestrians and other vehicles around the car.
System has already been used by players from MK Dons football team
Initial trials of the Fetch cars took place on private land and car parks around the Milton Keynes Stadium.
The stadium is the home of football team the MK Dons, and the players and staff will continue to take part in the expanding trials.
Simon Crampton, the team’s performance director, said that driverless cars could be particularly useful for players during the current pandemic, allowing them to travel to training sessions while making minimal contact with others.
There are now plans to take the trial onto public roads, starting around Milton Keynes train station and offering a paid driverless transportation service to commuters.
Brian Matthews, the head of Transport Innovation at Milton Keynes Council, predicted that driverless vehicles would be commonplace in the town within the next two years.
He added that a range of options was being considered alongside the driverless cars, including larger shuttles that use similar remote-control technology and fully autonomous four-seater modules.
The trial follows a scheme in Oxford, which became the first UK city to test driverless vehicles, late in 2020.
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