RTA announces self-driving transport challenge finalists

Applications for the global competition has surpassed the number of expected entries by 30 per cent.

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced the finalists of the Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport (SDT) on Sunday.
According to the RTA, applications for the global competition that was announced in February this year, has surpassed the number of expected entries by 30 per cent. Leading companies, universities, colleges and institutions from 20 cities around the world, sent their entries for SDT which is aimed at serving as a catalyst to achieve the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, of transforming 25 per cent of all trips in Dubai as smart and driverless by 2030.
A total cash prize of $5 million is at stake at the competition. The Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport has been divided into three categories- Leaders, Start-ups and Universities (local and international) covering durability and reliability; ability to drive under traffic conditions simulating the reality; power efficiency and environmental compatibility; electronic safety and security; and user's experience.

The Finalists are:

Leaders category
>Navya - France
>EasyMile - France
>Drive.ai - USA
>Westfield - UK
>Baidu - China
>2getthere - The Netherlands
Start-ups
>Sensible - Finland
>Derq - UAE
>IAuto - Taiwan
Local universities
>Dubai University
>UAE University
>Al Ain University of Science and Technology
>Abu Dhabi University
International universities
>Friee Berlin University - Germany
>Carnegie Mellon University - USA
>Intelligent Systems Lab at Universidad Carlos lll de Madrid - Spain
>University of Technology Sydney - Australia represent the finalists of this category.
The finalists were also assessed by several parameters, including company credibility, vision, skills and relevant experiences of the entity. They will be subjected to intensive tests in Dubai beginning in February next year  and an international jury panel will review all submissions to select the final winners of the inaugural edition of the Challenge.
Winners will be honoured during the first edition of the Dubai World Conference for Self-Driving Transport scheduled to be held in October 2019.
angel@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai