South Korean telecommunications company KT Corp. successfully tested a self-driving bus at the Incheon International airport on November 11, the first in a line of innovation that it plans around 5G, artificial intelligence, big data, and the internet of things (IoT).
KT’s driverless bus reportedly covered 2.2 kilometers at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour outside the airport’s Terminal 1. It slowed down at traffic signals and changed lanes to avoid obstacles.
Officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport watched the demonstration, according to KT Corp.
In a deal signed last month, KT Corp. and the Incheon International Airport Corporation have agreed to develop a new intelligent airport based on information and communications technology (ICT).
KT said it is currently developing a commercial self-driving platform — 5G as a Vehicle Platform (5GaVP), which was piloted during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games last February. The company has also developed a smart, voice-recognizing platform for connected cars called the GiGA Drive IVI.
It looks like airport shuttle buses would be among the first applications of the technologies.
Incheon is Korea’s largest airport, the world's third largest in the international cargo transportation and the seventh in international passenger transportation.
