NEWS

On 27 March, the Satellite Applications Catapult launched the UK Autonomous and Connected Earth (UK-ACE) Connected Capability Network (CCN). Darwin was delighted to attend the kick-off, which took place at the Catapult’s headquarters at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. Founded in 2013, the Satellite Applications Catapult works to support and advance the UK space sector. It aims to encourage new ideas and help guide satellite applications from research to reality. This is the Satellite Applications Catapult’s second CCN, following the UK Earth Observation Network for Sustainability, which was launched in 2023. The purpose of these networks is to bring together organisations from across the space sector, enabling them to achieve new heights together. The UK-ACE CCN will host events and activities to encourage collaboration, and we’re looking forward to seeing the results. We’re enthusiastic about the potential of collaborative projects like these CCNs, as Darwin was originally founded five years ago with a strong belief in the power of working together. In our work with satellite communications, we’ve already made strides by working with other space sector players such as ESA, UKSA, Hispasat and the Satellite Applications Catapult itself. Darwin’s remote control centre, where we research the remote operation of connected vehicles, is located in the Catapult building. The two self-driving shuttles of the Darwin Autonomous Shuttle service were present at the event, and attendees were welcome to board. This shuttle service, established with the help of Darwin’s partners, demonstrates what can be achieved through collaboration. With the UK-ACE CCN aiming to support the integration of space technology into daily life in many areas, including transportation, we may be seeing new advances in the world of connected vehicles soon. Darwin Innovation Group is a UK-based company that provides services related to autonomous vehicles and communications. If you’re interested in working with us, take a look at our careers page. If you’d like to know how we can help your organisation make use of autonomous vehicles, contact us. You can also follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

2024 was the third year of LEAP, a major annual tech conference based in Saudi Arabia. Held from 4 to 7 March in Riyadh, the 2024 event proved to be the largest LEAP yet, with over 215,000 attendees. Like last year, Darwin had a place in the UK Pavilion. The event was a great opportunity to connect with other organisations, and to speak with Saudi Arabian government sectors about the Kingdom’s vision for smart mobility. Darwin’s team spoke to representatives from a variety of fields about our wide-ranging work with autonomous transport and communications technology. The organisations we engaged with included the Saudi Space Agency, Saudi Telecom, Tabadul, solutions by stc, Zain, Mobily, Aramco, Salam, Plant-Tech Arabia, BIAC, Syarah, e-Marefa, the Riyadh Development Authority, the Saudi Ports Authority, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation, and the Ministry of Transport and Logistic Services. ‘Witnessing the rapid transformation of LEAP into a digital technology hub was truly remarkable,’ said Irving Galva Tapia, one of Darwin’s autonomous vehicle experts. ‘Representing Darwin at such a prestigious global event was an honour. It was inspiring to see Saudi Arabia’s ongoing commitment to investing in its digital future, and LEAP 2024 underscored the Kingdom’s dedication to fostering technology growth.’ LEAP has swiftly established an important place in the technological world since its founding in 2022, and we’re looking forward to seeing it continue to grow from year to year! Darwin Innovation Group is a UK-based company that provides services related to autonomous vehicles and communications. If you’re interested in working with us, take a look at our careers page. If you’d like to know how we can help your organisation make use of autonomous vehicles, contact us. You can also follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

The 2024 ABI Conference, organised by the Association of British Insurers, was held on 27 February in London. This annual event is a chance for insurers to network and discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the insurance industry. Darwin was at the conference to introduce our new autonomous shuttle, the second vehicle to be added to the existing Darwin Autonomous Shuttle service, in collaboration with Aviva, the European Space Agency, the UK Space Agency and the University of Salford. We’re sharing data from the service with Aviva to help them develop insurance products for self-driving vehicles. The event was a great opportunity to introduce Darwin’s work to the attendees and gain greater insight into the insurance industry. It was a particular pleasure to speak to Aviva’s passionate, friendly and knowledgeable team. Our shuttle experts Paul and Irving were on hand to answer any questions people might have about the shuttle. The vehicle drew a lot of attention and had plenty of visitors over the course of the day, with the opportunity to look at the output from the shuttle’s LiDAR sensors on the on-board screen. Many of the attendees were curious to know whether the shuttle was just a visual concept or an actual working autonomous vehicle. It’s a working vehicle, and you can see it driving itself around at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus! Eventually, of course, self-driving vehicles will be a commonplace sight; the residents of Harwell Campus are already used to having the Darwin Autonomous Shuttle as a transport option. For now, though, they’re still a new and exciting thing, and it was great to see the interest from visitors. One of the pleasures of working with autonomous vehicles is getting the opportunity to see all the enthusiasm for the potential of this new technology. Insurance is relevant to many different fields, so it’s no surprise that the panels at the conference tackled a wide variety of topics. The industry challenges that came up in discussion included: Sustainability and climate change. Mary Portas spoke about the futility of trying to prioritise the economy over the environment when the environment of our planet affects everything else on the planet, the economy included. The cost of living crisis and the affordability of insurance. Many speakers expressed concern that people, particularly young people, were finding it increasingly difficult to afford insurance. Tara Foley, CEO of AXA UK and Ireland, suggested that autonomous vehicles might have a role to play here by reducing risks on the road, which could result in premium decreases. Artificial intelligence. The increasing capability and prominence of AI presents both opportunities and concerns for many industries. David Crelley, data ethics lead at Admiral, spoke about how AI is ultimately a tool, and it needs to be understood and used correctly in order to be helpful. If users of AI are trained in what it is and isn’t capable of, they can benefit from its capabilities while also recognising and guarding against errors or data biases. Sam White, the founder of Stella Insurance, spoke about how creativity is important for finding new solutions, but the insurance industry has difficulty presenting itself as creative or exciting and therefore struggles to attract creative people. By reshaping its image, the industry might be able to attract a more diverse range of skills and break new ground. The conference was an interesting look at the current landscape of the insurance industry, and we’re looking forward to seeing how that landscape changes as self-driving vehicles become more widespread. For more about our work with insurers, take a look at our insurtech page. Darwin Innovation Group is a UK-based company that provides services related to autonomous vehicles and communications. If you’re interested in working with us, take a look at our careers page. If you’d like to know how we can help your organisation make use of autonomous vehicles, contact us. You can also follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

In late 2021, insurer Aviva and autonomous vehicle operator Darwin Innovation Group partnered to launch the Darwin Autonomous Shuttle, the longest-running self-driving passenger service in the UK. Now, after two years of operation, Aviva and Darwin have teamed up with the University of Salford to add a second self-driving shuttle to the service. Like the original Darwin Autonomous Shuttle, the new shuttle has no driver and no steering wheel, instead using cameras, LiDAR sensors, 3D maps and self-driving software to navigate a route, stop for passengers and detect obstacles. The use of a second shuttle enables a greater understanding of how self-driving vehicles interact with each other in a real-world setting. Both shuttles carry passengers around Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, in an ongoing project supported by the European Space Agency and UK Space Agency. However, through its collaboration with Darwin, the University of Salford hopes to learn more about autonomous vehicle operation, and ultimately to deploy self-driving vehicles in the Manchester area. Aviva is insuring both shuttles. Since the launch of the Darwin Autonomous Shuttle in 2021, Darwin has shared data from the service with Aviva to enable a greater understanding of how connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) should be insured. The introduction of a second shuttle will enrich the data and further inform Aviva’s development of insurance products for autonomous vehicles. Daniela Petrovic, the co-founder of Darwin, explained how introducing a second vehicle to the Darwin Autonomous Shuttle route also enables swifter advances in the CAV software used by both shuttles. ‘We are testing both vehicles all the time, and improvements in one are immediately deployed in the other.’ One of the aspects Darwin is testing is the ability of these autonomous vehicles to make journeys on demand. This feature lets passengers call the shuttle to pick them up from a specific stop on the vehicle’s route. On-demand passenger CAVs could be deployed more widely in the future, reducing dependence on individual cars in rural areas. Tom Pitney, Head of Motor at Aviva, said: ‘The addition of a second shuttle to the autonomous vehicle trial marks an important milestone in our five-year partnership. This trial will give us access to a wealth of rich data, providing valuable insights into claims, underwriting, risk and product areas. This will enable us to be at the forefront of future mobility and ensure that we have products ready to insure the vehicles on our roads as they evolve and change.’ Daniela Petrovic, co-founder of Darwin, said: ‘As the transportation and insurance industries are interwoven, it’s important for insurers to develop as transport evolves. With the expertise we’ve developed through over two years of autonomous vehicle operation, we’re working closely with Aviva to help make widespread autonomous transport a practical reality.’ Darwin Innovation Group is a UK-based company that provides services related to autonomous vehicles and communications. If you’re interested in working with us, take a look at our careers page. If you’d like to know how we can help your organisation make use of autonomous vehicles, contact us. You can also follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

On 28 February 2024, Darwin was honoured and delighted to welcome Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia to our UK headquarters, six months after our own visit to him at Serbia’s White Palace. The prince and his son Alexander paid a visit to Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, where they learnt about the campus and Darwin’s work there. Prince Alexander has longstanding ties to the UK. He was born in Claridge’s Hotel in London, in what is now called the Prince Alexander Suite, and Queen Elizabeth II was his godmother. ‘HRH Prince Alexander is filming his life story and wants to share how Serbian royals have supported the innovation of scientists of Serbian origins,’ said Daniela Petrovic, co-founder of Darwin. ‘He mentioned Tesla, Mihajlo Pupin, Mileva Marić-Einstein and other giants of Serbian science, so we were deeply honoured to form a small part in his overview of the scientific endeavours of my Serbian countrymen and women.’ At Harwell HQ, we spoke about the history of the campus and Darwin’s role in it. We then paid a visit to the European Space Agency (ESA), where we discussed Darwin and ESA’s past and future collaborative projects, including the Darwin Autonomous Shuttle. We also discussed the charity Lifeline, which recently celebrated its thirtieth anniversary. Lifeline, which was founded by Prince Alexander’s wife Princess Katherine in 1993, has provided humanitarian aid to the people of Serbia over the last three decades, and Darwin is proud to support its work. We concluded the visit at the Darwin remote control centre, located at the Satellite Applications Catapult, where Prince Alexander had the opportunity to remotely control the Darwin Autonomous Shuttle itself. Afterwards, Prince Alexander thanked the Darwin, Harwell and ESA teams for an inspiring visit. It was a pleasure to welcome him, his son and his team, and we’re glad to know he enjoyed the day as well. Darwin Innovation Group is a UK-based company that provides services related to autonomous vehicles and communications. If you’re interested in working with us, take a look at our careers page. If you’d like to know how we can help your organisation make use of autonomous vehicles, contact us. You can also follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.