THE EXPERT — PHILIPP ROBBEL Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mapless AI How do you address this issue? Ph. R. We decided to separate assets (vehicles) from the workforce, without waiting for the advent of entirely self-driving vehicles. Remote driving is a cost-effective approach and meets the current needs of fleet operators. It makes use of existing vehicles, fitted with on-board equipment. With our solution, a single person can control several vehicles simultaneously from their desktop, moving quickly from one to another, which significantly optimizes the use of human resources. This also emphasizes the importance of operators’ work: skilled, trained technicians work from control centers, rather than spending weeks on the road, away from their families. How does your solution work in practice? Ph. R. Our “kit” is built on three key components: redundant connectivity via multiple operators and modems, a remote control center that works in parallel with a driver certification program, and an on-board system that ensures safety even in the event of network disruption. A key point: even when the vehicle is remotely controlled, the safety system works locally on board and has been designed to remain operational offline. Today, this architecture is behind the large-scale roll-out of driverless travel. We don’t see this as a simple transition. As with air traffic control, we will always need human supervision for complex situations and environments. “Our solution can be rolled out to ordinary vehicles without major modifications, making them remotely operable in a few hours.” Ph. R. AMANDINE CHAFFOIS Vice President of OP’nSoft resolution of deadlock situations for selfdriving vehicles. But today, using existing vehicles, this solution already provides fleet managers with a tool to maximize their cars’ productivity and movement. How does Mapless AI’s solution meet OPmobility’s objectives in terms of innovation and safety? A. C. As a leader, we are striving to accelerate innovation in smart mobility and self-driving systems. Strategically, it makes sense for us to strengthen our relationships with urban mobility stakeholders that have proven solutions with architecture that prioritizes safety over everything else. Mapless AI has already implemented its solution successfully. In Detroit, for instance, a shared mobility operator, Corktown Carshare, uses the solution to “deliver” vehicles wherever users need them and to bring them back to charging points overnight. Remote driving: a fast track to self-driving vehicles? “Tomorrow, for the first time in automotive history, our cars will no longer be considered as expenses; they will become assets. Instead of investing in bricks and mortar, we’ll be able to invest in a robotaxi as a source of income.” A. C. — THE SPONSOR How do you see the future of the automotive industry? Amandine Chaffois. We are entering the era of self-driving vehicles. Ultimately, this will lead to several shifts. Today, on average, a privately owned car is used just 3% of the time and is parked for the remainder. Tomorrow, with shared, self-driving vehicles, this figure could reach 60%. Instead of being parked in a garage, the vehicle will be passed from one user to another without human intervention, thereby optimizing its use and reducing wasted resources. The second shift will affect our environment: the space used to park our cars will be freed up for different uses. Our towns and cities will have more space and the air quality in urban areas will improve. The last change is particularly major: for the first time in automotive history, our cars will no longer be considered as expenses; they will become assets. We will use them in the morning to go to work; later, they will “work” for us during the day, earning us income by transporting goods, spare parts, or passengers. Instead of investing in bricks and mortar, we’ll be able to invest in a robotaxi as a source of income. Back to the present day: what is the current situation and what obstacles must be overcome to make rapid progress with self-driving vehicles? A. C. The scene I’ve just described is still a long way off. We need solutions to bridge the gap between fully self-driving vehicles and human intelligence. That’s exactly what the start-up Mapless AI has achieved by making it possible for existing vehicles to be controlled remotely by an operator, without an on-board driver. Ultimately, Mapless AI’s solution will enable the remote How do you see the future of self-driving vehicles? Philipp Robbel. We believe that the first step towards self-driving vehicles involves human assistance and that’s why we have focused our efforts on remote driving to develop a solution that now makes driverless mobility possible, using existing automotive platforms. It’s also safe and cost-effective. How did this solution come about? Ph. R. We met with various automotive fleet managers, including car-sharing operators, rental companies, and logistics stakeholders, all of whom had the same simple issue. For fleet managers, the priority is driver productivity; for customers, it’s vehicle availability: cars need to be wherever users need them. Every empty journey, every vehicle movement takes up working hours and eats into profit margins. However, even today, self-driving vehicles are not an option for many fleets, requiring very substantial investments, with no guarantee of performance. OPEN MIND OPmobility — Vibes #3 30 • • 31
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