Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba speaks during a press conference in Putrajaya, September 9, 2021. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 — The NanoMalaysia Autonomous Vehicle (NAVi) initiative was launched today to support innovation and adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technology as well as to address the rising rate of accidents in the country.
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti), in a statement today, said that the development of level four autonomous vehicles (AV) in Malaysia was an initiative under Mosti through the NanoMalaysia Berhad (NMB) agency in preparation for developing 4IR-related technology.
It added that NAVi was created in preparation for Malaysia’s transportation and automotive sector to enter the era of autonomous systems.
“Apart from that, it is also aimed at tackling the cause and rising rate of accidents in the country as per the report of the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros).
“Level four autonomous vehicles are able to respond effectively in dealing with distractions and limited driver reflexes,” it said.
Mosti will also organise a start-up project under the National Technology and Innovation Sandbox (NTIS) programme in an effort to raise the standard of road safety by carrying out a series of tests in a controlled and safe area.
According to Mosti, the NAVi is currently undergoing testing at Taman Teknologi Malaysia (TPM) in Bukit Jalil.
The 12km road route in Phase 1 to Phase 3 of the TPM is set to be the route approved for AV under the framework of the TPM International Innovation Hub practical laboratory,” the statement added.
To support the development of AV solutions in the future, infrastructure like road signs, signages, central command centre and 5G connectivity is being built and the TPM will be the main site of the test facility for the AV technology.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba today officiated the launch of the NAVi initiative and NanoMalaysia Autonomous Delivery Robot (NAVi-D) demonstration.
NAVi-D is an evolution of NAVi and is designed specifically for the last mile delivery sector, focusing on parcel and food product delivery services. — Bernama