TAXISAT
A new TAXI application guided by Satellite

Although automatic and driverless vehicles are not yet in operation, most of these systems need infrastructure. Demonstrations have been undertaken recently to show the potential for satellite-based navigation systems to remove the need for this heavy infrastructure.
The TAXISAT project aims to develop a driverless GNSS-based taxi application capable of operating cost effectively, safely and with high reliability, within a private, clearly defined area.

Why this project is important for EGNOS/GSA/SatNav?

TAXISAT aims to exploit the unique features of EGNOS and Galileo signals to improve the reliability and integrity of transport service platforms.

Objectives

The TAXISAT project aims to build an operational localization and adaptive navigation system that will provide a cost-effective and reliable automated transport solution.
Therefore, the TAXISAT approach is not only based on defining a new localization solution but also on implementing an integrated solution where localization and navigational information is closely coupled with information on the environmental context to generate a generic method allowing the deployment of the solution on any site.

Some components of the TAXISAT solution can be found in the solution proposed by DARPA; for instance, low cost sensors like 2D laser scanners will be used as an input system for localization and navigation, but information about the environment and paths to be followed will also be integrated in the TAXISAT solution.

How does it work?

• TAXISAT is a set of localization and navigation modules that needs to be adapted to a vehicle. Both modules consist of a set of hardware and software.
• The localization module computes a location using data provided by various sensors (EDAS, GNSS, INS and Video).
• The navigation module uses the location as input to make the vehicle follow a reference trajectory. In order to add safety to the system, data from a 2D laser are used for obstacle detection.

Next Steps

Integration, tests and demonstrations.