MooAV might just become the car we will be using in the future, in spite of the fact that it resembles a large-sized robotic bug. The vehicle has been constructed by the startup MooVita. It is one of the several autonomous vehicles that are being tested at a particular special center located in Singapore, which aims at advancing development of the technology of self-driving cars.
Startups from all over the globe will be visiting the track that has been purpose-built for recreating an urban environment. It is situated in the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore over an area of more than 5 acres. The roads resemble those in the city, completely equipped with crosswalks, stop lights as well as traffic signs. In fact, a rain simulator is also present. All this forms a part of the effort to analyze the ability of autonomous vehicles to cope with each of these elements.
According to Dillip Limbu, the car’s quirky and offbeat design is completely intentional. Limbu is currently the CEO of the startup. According to him, the design has made to set the company’s car apart from the conventional cars. This will make sure that customers perceive it as different from the traditional vehicles on the very first impression.
Projects such as the test track of Nanyang have assisted Singapore in becoming a development hub for self-driving vehicles. This role has coincided with the broader push of city-state in encouraging its tech sector’s growth and tackling some other challenges it has been facing simultaneously.
According to Subodh Mhaisalkar, Singapore is fast becoming an old city, at a rate much faster than the rest of the world. As a result, they have a situation at hand where such technology will be extremely advantageous in providing mobility to senior citizens. Mhaisalkar is the professor at the helm of the Energy Research Institute at Nanyang, which is entrusted with carrying out research regarding autonomous vehicles.