The Bar-Ilan University Smart Cities Center is set to begin experimenting with an autonomous minibus that can transport patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and medical equipment. The autonomous shuttle will be operated remotely, without a driver or operator, transporting patients for medical purposes while reducing direct contact between patients and hospital staff, and preventing infection of medical staff and drivers. The use of the autonomous vehicle to transfer medication, laundry and food to corona-isolated hospital facilities will also be assessed.
The experiment will be carried out by a team led by Prof. Eyal Yaniv, Director of the School of Business Administration and Director of the Smart Cities Center at Bar-Ilan University.
“We are proud to be at the forefront of research and technology in the field of autonomous travel and its adaptation to combat the coronavirus,” said University CEO Zohar Yinon.
Manufactured by NAVYA in France, the autonomous shuttle was recently imported to Israel and will be operated under a joint venture with an Israeli subsidiary of ST Engineering of Singapore and BWR Israel.
The testing will be conducted in coordination with the Ministry of Transportation. In the coming months, the shuttle is expected to be moved to the Bar-Ilan University campus for research purposes and to transport students around campus.