Quote(https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/sites/default/files/styles/sliders_and_planned_story_image_870x580/public/291942_standard.jpeg?itok=fRr3-A6Q)
Mayo Clinic announced April 2 that autonomous vehicles would help transport medical supplies and COVID-19 tests throughout its Jacksonville campus.
Starting March 30, four autonomous vehicles began operating, driving from a drive-thru testing site to transport specimens to a processing lab on Mayo Clinic's campus.
https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/mayo-clinic-jta-to-autonomously-shuttle-covid-19-tests (https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/mayo-clinic-jta-to-autonomously-shuttle-covid-19-tests)
Looks like the Daily Record just printed the JTA media release.
Are the AVs running in mixed vehicle or pedestrian traffic, or do they have an exclusive pathway?
In a controlled environment.
QuoteStarting March 30, four autonomous vehicles began operating, driving from a drive-thru testing site to transport specimens to a processing lab on Mayo Clinic's campus.
This is how the world ends, isn't it?
In all seriousness, really cool, appropriate use of the UAV tech.
definitely a good use for the AV - but the tests aren't getting there quickly
Good use for AV technology but how does that improve mobility for local transit users? And if it doesn't, do I need to see a JTA press release on it? Remote control cars have been around since the 1920s, so good use but not really revolutionary. That was the perspective I had when initially reading the press release. Now if we're manufacturing and selling AVs to the rest of the world, I get it.
If you can put "COVID-19" in a news report these days, you print it, because it gets clicks. Must be a slow news day...
The Navya buses are not remote controlled. They're equipped with computing to navigate the routes without a person.
I'd be willing to bet this is something the Mayo's been looking at doing for awhile. All 3 of their main campus are going to have test facilities that are a relatively long way from where the patients are getting tested. IIRC their #rochMN main testing facility is on the other side of town from their orig campus.
I'm not sure what this does for JTA over all though. I'm a bit thrown off by the talk of these things not interacting with peds and traffic. The JAX MAYO campus wasn't built for these. So that sort of thing wouldn't exist. Did they re purpose some ped paths for this to run on? Something else?
They closed off a parking lot for them to run in a contained, protected environment. Last week, there was a video of it floating around somewhere.
The website MIC has picked up the story - https://www.mic.com/p/self-driving-cars-are-helping-the-coronavirus-fight-in-florida-22768125?utm_campaign=mic&utm_content=1586284325&utm_medium=owned&utm_source=facebook
The article includes a video showing one of the AVs making the trip from the testing site to the lab. I hope the contingent accompanying the AV was just for one of the initial trips. There was an SUV with flashing light trailing the AV; couldn't tell from the video how many were in the SUV. There was also a person in a yellow safety vest on a scooter going alongside and ahead of the AV, sometimes stopping conflicting traffic.