In the streets of Berlin nestled just south of Tempelhofer Feld, a white Kia gracefully navigates through the busy scene of cars parked haphazardly bustling roadworks cyclists weaving through traffic and pedestrians going about their day. Dan, the driver engages in conversation, with his passengers. The remarkable thing is that Dan isn’t physically present inside the car.
Instead he operates the vehicle from a workstation located half a mile away at the offices of Vay, a pioneering startup. What’s their secret behind this achievement? Vay equips their cars with a set of technologies including radar, GPS systems, ultrasound devices and a range of sensors. This allows drivers like Dan to remotely control these vehicles.
A Fresh Perspective on Mobility: Teledriving
Vay calls this groundbreaking concept “teledriving ” presenting it as an alternative to autonomous driving. It turns out that achieving autonomy in driving has proven to be more challenging than expected. Even industry giants, like Waymo, Cruise and Tesla have acknowledged this fact. The inception of Vay can be credited to co founders Fabrizio Scelsi, Bogdan Djukic and Thomas von der Ohe; all of whom brought their expertise from the world of robotaxis at Zoox.
In Zoox remote driving was mainly used as a system, for vehicles. If a self driving car came across an obstacle teleguidance enabled an operator to take over the vehicle remotely and steer it around the obstruction. However von der Ohe and his team quickly discovered that teledriving had more to offer, than being a safety measure.
Self-driving cars are still a bust. But teledriving can put a human behind the wheel, anywhere
The Case for Teledriving: Addressing Safety and Timeliness
Teledriving has proven to be more than an alternative; it’s a forward thinking solution. It effectively tackles safety concerns while also speeding up the implementation process. The ability to utilize assistance suggests that the vision of autonomous vehicles becoming a reality is not too far off potentially happening within years rather than decades.
Vay’s Vision: Transforming the Landscape of Driverless Mobility
Under the leadership of CEO Thomas von der Ohe Vay presents itself as an approach to driverless mobility. Customers experience their rented cars like any regular vehicle. However once the journey is complete control is seamlessly handed over to Vays team of “teledrivers,” who remotely guide the car to its destination. Think of it as a Zipcar that autonomously delivers itself right to your doorstep.
Expanding Horizons from Berlin to Las Vegas
Taking a step forward this year Vay opened its first U.S. Office in Las Vegas solidifying its global presence. Additionally in February Vay achieved a milestone when one of its cars successfully navigated a road in Europe without any human presence inside. Thomas von der Ohe expresses his excitement about this accomplishment by stating; “This milestone was truly monumental, for us.”
Teledriving Nearing Your Neighborhood
Vays goal is to introduce their groundbreaking teledriving concept, to the consumer market. In the future customers will have the convenience of summoning a Vay car with a simple click. These cars will autonomously arrive at their desired location. Once the trip is over drive away without the hassle of searching for parking. Thomas von der Ohe believes that this transition will take place in a matter of months than years.
Beyond Vay: The Expansive Potential of Teledriving
However the impact of teledriving goes beyond Vays launch. Lets consider the issue of truck driver shortages. Teledriving presents a solution by creating a network of remote drivers who can step in and fill these gaps. Thomas von der Ohe envisions a world where long haul truck drivers can spend time with their families due to driver handovers ensuring uninterrupted freight movement without long pit stops at gas stations.
The versatility and wide range of applications for teledriving lead von der Ohe to believe that this technology could revolutionize not transportation but also various industries. As he aptly states, “I truly believe that remote driving technology can have an impact, on aspects of our lives.””Why were we so fixated on autonomy? That’s a question people will ponder in the future.”
Conclusion
Vays teledriving technology has the potential to revolutionize transportation and the overall field of driverless vehicles. With its focus, on improving safety, convenience and efficiency teledriving is not just an idea. A powerful force that is set to transform our means of getting from one place to another. In a world where autonomous vehicles are still being explored teledriving emerges, as a groundbreaking option that is poised to shape the future of transportation.
