Worldwide unique technology in operation 

The special feature of HEAT: a worldwide unique technology consisting of three subsystems operates in the background. Besides the vehicle’s own perception via cameras, radar and laser measurement, the electrically powered minibus also accessed other sources. Roadside masts with sensors along the route expanded the bus’s field of view, thus enabling anticipatory driving and higher speeds compared with other projects. In addition, the vehicle used a HD map provided by the City of Hamburg which is accurate to within a few centimetres.

The third subsystem was continuous monitoring by the HOCHBAHN control centre, which was responsible for incident management, i.e. intervening if critical situations occur during operation. You can find out more about how these systems interact in our explanatory HEAT film.

Our conclusion from the project now completed is: we, HOCHBAHN and our project partners, see HEAT as a significant milestone in the development of technological solutions to the ready-to-market stage   and establishing driverless transport as a supplement to existing public transport options. And now we have to get on with fine-tuning the future …