Orlando Firefighters Preview Autonomous Shuttles

LAKE NONA, Fla. — Beep Autonomous Mobility Solutions visited Fire Station 16 Wednesday, teaching Orlando firefighters how to manually operate their autonomous “Autonom” shuttles.

Beep decided to use an Xbox One controller for the job - hard-wired to control the movement of the shuttle - because it’s a user-friendly way to control a vehicle with no physical gas pedal, brake pedal, or steering wheel, according to CEO Joe Moye:

“It was kind of a logical piece of componentry to enable us to, if we do have to manually take over the shuttle, be able to move it directionally, forward backward and stop,” Moye said.

“You know, we had to put something in there,” Moye said.

Lake Nona District Fire Chief Joe McCluan described what being trained to drive the shuttles was like:

“The controller’s interesting, I’m not a gamer so it’s a little bit out of my wheelhouse, but it actually was very intuitive once you got your hands on it,” McCluan said.

Thrills aside, McCluan says that the autonomous vehicles are safe, and ready for the public:

“I think it’s well overdue in the area, I think it’s great that we’re on the cutting edge of this, the Nona community is going to be ahead of the rest of the country to have this out,” McCluan said.

The autonomy itself is achieved with an array of sensors and cameras on each side of the shuttle, making decisions based off of what they can see in real-time.

Upon launch, an attendant will be riding along in every Autonom to address safety concerns.

Once Beep makes further improvements on their “self-learning technology,” Moye says that all Autonoms will eventually be unmanned and monitored only with cameras:

“There’s a natural tendency to be apprehensive when you think about technology like this that’s going to displace a driver. We’re doing the things we need to do to ensure safety, much like this event here today to train the first responders,” Moye said.

According to a press release, the Autonom will be able to carry 15 passengers in total, with 11 seated and four standing.

The air-conditioned electric vehicle has a top speed of 16 mph, a 9-hour battery life, and accommodations for riders with disabilities.

Awaiting final government approval, that of the U.S. Department of Transportation in particular, Beep hopes to have their shuttles operational and on Lake Nona roads in July; those lucky enough to catch these first few buses will get a free ride.