Level 3 (L3) autonomy refers to vehicles capable of automated driving under specific conditions, requiring human intervention when prompted.
Autonomous Driving Regulations
A regulatory framework is essential for achieving public acceptance for AI-based autonomous driving
Regulations surrounding autonomous driving vary from country to country and state to state, with different levels of permitted autonomy defined by industry standards.
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has defined six levels of driving autonomation technology, in this document.
Imagry is currently developing solutions for L3 and L4, as follows:
Level 4 (L4) autonomy represents a higher degree of automation, where vehicles can operate autonomously without human monitoring and intervention in defined environments or scenarios.
The first autonomous bus project was launched by Imagry in February 2023 at the Sheba Medical Center.
Imagry has played a pivotal role in shaping autonomous driving regulations in Israel, as we were invited (along with Mobileye) to help draft the framework and milestones for L3/L4 legislation permits.
As part of these regulations, which are noticeably stringent compared to those of other countries, autonomous buses must pass the NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) test, which evaluates vehicle performance to ensure safety.
Our autonomous bus is the first in the world to successfully pass NCAP testing, originally designed solely for passenger cars.
The following video demonstrates some of the challenging scenarios defined in the NCAP protocol, as addressed by the autonomous platform designed and implemented by Imagry in a midi-sized bus.
All regulators would like to prevent the scenario depicted in the 1994 movie "Speed".
Another section of the Israeli autonomous driving regulation deals with cyber security. Vehicles must demonstrate that they cannot be controlled remotely.
This requirement aligns with the UNR-155 regulation and has been in effect in Israel since May 2022. In Europe, UNR-155 is set to take effect in August 2024. In the Imagry implementation, in case of a mechanical issue or passenger request for assistance, the control center will send a suggestion to the vehicle to pull over at the closest safe and legal opportunity and wait there for a service vehicle to arrive.
Additional autonomous buses being put through their regulatory paces are active in the city of Nahariya.
Furthermore, autonomous buses in Israel must undergo extensive testing while driving L3 for 100,000 km with a safety driver and passengers on board.
Only after meeting safety benchmarks and collecting sufficient data can vehicles be eligible for L4 status, allowing for the removal of the safety driver. This rigorous testing process ensures that autonomous vehicles meet the highest safety standards before being deployed on public roads.
Next stop, full autonomy!
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Company Locations
Imagry, Inc.
1630 Old Oakland Rd.
Suite #A112
San Jose CA 95131
USA
1630 Old Oakland Rd.
Suite #A112
San Jose CA 95131
USA
Imagry (Israel) Ltd.
53 Derekh HaAtsma'ut
3rd Floor
Haifa 3303327
Israel
53 Derekh HaAtsma'ut
3rd Floor
Haifa 3303327
Israel