Research project Autonomous Last Mile

In a future filled with autonomous vehicles, there will still be instances where human intervention is necessary to ensure safe and convenient mobility. When most of the simple tasks are easily handled by an algorithm, the edge cases will necessarily be complex, time sensitive, or outside the norm.

In these situations, remote operators play a crucial role, stepping in when the autonomous vehicle (AV) encounters scenarios it cannot safely or swiftly resolve. Such instant remote operation is a current goal for 5G and beyond, envisioned by Ericsson for scenarios from public transport to remote mining operations.

However, other societal trends such as increased gig-work, heralding the return of piecemeal labor and increased migration due to changes in the climate and geopolitical stability, must also be taken into account when understanding what this autonomous future may be. As shown by the Amazon Warehouse robots, the addition of autonomous agents to current roles does not ensure improvements in working conditions.

This project will bring together designers, philosophers, and technologists to develop new visions of the future as fully immersive Extended Reality (XR) experiences as a commentary on the current state of AVs and their potential future use cases. We will also highlight the operational challenges and the often-overlooked human labor essential for making these vehicles function effectively.

The project is funded by the Vinnova call “Shape the sustainable solutions of the future within the mobility system”