Malaysian ministry starts self-driving vehicle project

KUALA LUMPUR: The NanoMalaysia Autonomous Vehicle (NAVi) project is launched today to support innovation and adoption of advanced technology as well as tackle the rising rate of accidents in the country.

The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation said in a statement today the project would experiment with vehicles that have level four autonomy. The project would be carried out by NanoMalaysia Bhd, an agency under the ministry.

The ministry said NAVi was created to prepare vehicles in Malaysia to become self-driving in future and indirectly help to reduce road accidents.

It said it would organise a project to improve road safety by carrying out tests in a controlled setting.

The NAVi is being tested along a 12km route at Taman Teknologi Malaysia in Bukit Jalil here.

Taman Teknologi Malaysia would be the main government site for testing autonomous vehicles. To pave the way for the project, it has begun building road signs, signages, a command centre and laying 5G connectivity.

Beside the NAVi, the ministry is also extending the study into using robots to provide last-mile delivery of food and parcels.