service to Las Vegas: driverless and powered by cutting-edge 5G technology.
While there have been concerns about the safety of autonomous vehicles, Halo wants to help users feel comfortable and secure with the unique approach of their rideshare cars only being _partially _driverless.
The hype and setbacks of 5G driverless cars
The hype has been brewing around 5G ever since it came out. It’s supposed to bring users countless conveniences—instant cloud connections, hyper-fast internet speeds, virtual reality.
5G was expected to revolutionize the car industry as well with how it can make driverless cars a reality. But it’s not an easy reality for the many companies that have invested in it. According to
reports that Halo is teaming up with T-Mobile to use 5G and LTE technology to implement a unique semi-autonomous service set to launch later this year.
Halo wants to keep the human factor in their equation and give control back so that users can feel confident and secure while using their service.
After ordering a car via the app, the user waits for a car to be driven to them via a remote operator. Once the car arrives, the user can get behind the steering wheel and operate the car as normal for the duration of the trip. The remote operator resumes control at the end of the trip and will drive the car to the next waiting user.
Halo cars will have nine cameras, radars, and ultrasonics as backup. They will connect to remote operators via T-Mobile’s 5G network (with LTE support). An advanced safe stop mechanism is in place so that the cars will come to a stop if they detect potential hazards.
This approach blends the convenience of driverless cars with the comfort of being in control of one’s own car while driving. It’s interesting and will likely work because it will ease concerns for customers who may be uncertain about riding in a driverless car.
Vision for the future
TechCrunch notes that Halo CEO Anand Nandakumar is more than aware of the current problems of driverless cars. That’s why instead of abandoning the prospect of full autonomy, Halo has come up with this solution to bridge normal ridesharing with 5G tech.
The Halo cars will be equipped with a special algorithm that learns in the background as the cars are driven, with the hopes of achieving better autonomous driving capabilities over time. Halo seems to be considering full autonomy as a future goal.
The automotive and ridesharing industries are constantly advancing.