Navya found a buyer! They've been showing off their technology since CES 2014. Here's their demo video.[1]

There are a lot of these little things available. There's Easymile.[2] Theirs is so slow they have to show double-speed video. There's Olli, from Local Motors.[3] It's 3D printed and has a hipster website, but there are no installations. Even Ycombinator has one, Auro.[4]

Most of these things underperform a golf cart. They're all in the "when in doubt, slam on the brakes" speed range for non-belted passengers. This is in some ways a harder problem than driverless cars, where the passengers are belted in and can survive at least a 35MPH collision.

Maybe the solution to this is to provide seat belts, and limit speed to 5-6MPH until everyone is belted in. This will encourage people to buckle up, especially with a bit of nagging.

[1] http://navya.tech/?lang=en [2] https://vimeo.com/137217228 [3] http://meetolli.auto [4] http://www.aurobots.com/

These seem to be a good fit for collage campus, remote parking, or around large airports. Basically anywhere the trips are fairly short and people are normally carrying 10+ lb of stuff or through areas you don't want people walking around.

They might also work for retirement communities, hilly areas, or where weather is often terrible, basically when walking is unpleasant. Possibly even transit within amusement parks or other places where navigation can confuse people.

But, well slow speed, and high cost per passenger mile is a clear reason they are not in widespread use.

Looking at these, there are at least four or five more vendors. Few have even one installation. Nobody has a second operational installation. There's something wrong with this concept, but what?

The same vehicles are actually being tested in Switzerland by the Post:

https://www.postauto.ch/smartshuttle

https://www.post.ch/en/about-us/company/media/press-releases...

https://www.post.ch/en/about-us/company/media/press-releases...

Unfortunately, it seems they just shut them down after a minor incident.

> They also carry a human operator at all times.

Despite this, these are still pretty neat. It's like a tram line without having to build the tracks. You don't need to steer, just not hit anything in front of you. In this case, the sensors can probably do most of that, too.

No steering wheel or pedals must mean the operator operates the door? "Quelqu'un doit sauter!". (This may not be funny in two languages.)

As a French, reading this I immediately understood this as "Somebody must blowup!", which I think wasn't the intended joke...

Someone has to jump? Je ne comprends pas. C'est un métaphore?

Well, there is another tram alternative: the bus on a separate lane, like in Nantes.

Paris also has specific bus lanes now everywhere.

Nantes' Busway isn't just separate bus lanes though, they get the same level of priority as a tramway, they run straight through roundabouts and other intersections, with lights turning blinking red for cars when the bus approaches. They also stop at every stop unlike regular buses (and they mostly use elevated platforms so there isn't a step to get in or out, IIRC).

An example of BRT - there are quite a few of them now: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_rapid_transit

In the Netherlands a test is underway using Ez10 self driving busses making use of bicycle lane: http://www.rtvdrenthe.nl/nieuws/113024/Eerste-zelfrijdende-b... (Dutch language)

Also being trialed in Perth, Australia.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-09/driverless-electric-bu...

There's one of these in Perth Australia. Reportedly has a wireless keyboard for manual control...

Yup, there's a short article about the Perth one here. It was briefly taken offline after problems with the GPS, but I understand it's operational again now.

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/wa-test-dr...

A wireless keyboard? "I'm sorry, Dave, I can not do that. Your batteries are dead."

We had this in the Netherlands in 1999. I think its still in operation today. I used to work in Rivium business park at the time and used to ride it every morning (when it worked).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW7XUs_0yU8

https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/ParkShuttle

(Sorry, WikiPedia page in Dutch).

That's neat, but not only does it need a dedicated guideway, they even have crossing gates where it crosses streets.

As these things get smarter and can share with other road users, they'll need less dedicated infrastructure, which makes them much more useful.

But that one is low-tech, like the automatic robots in factories. It uses magnets under the road surface and RFID tags, see FROG link on the wiki page.

The OP article mentions high-tech sensors like stero cameras and LIDAR -technology that requires state-of-the-art computers and is used in Google self-driven cars, etc.

And?... if the end result is the same? :)

One requires expensive road infrastructure, the other doesn't.

Some more information:

The shuttles are doing a 1 mile "L" path circle around a park and a commercial center. Then they turn back.

There isn't any traffic whatsoever. It's a wide road for pedestrians only, circling the area.

I've been saying forever that we should have golf cars to move around that place. Now it's getting real :D

They operate in the south of Confluence: It's a straight line without intersections. Granted there are pedestrians in this area, but I don't even think there are cyclists around. I was a bit disappointed when I learnt about the path: They're barely more than a tram.

Makes sense for a first test, they're just a smaller and more reactive tram, with no infrastructural requirements. That provides a well-controlled and safe baseline.

The human operator sure has a crazy job. You don't really do anything but are responsible if something goes wrong so you can't zone out.