Sonnet has created a space where people can experience examples of safe autonomous cooperative driving by introducing a Level 4 autonomous shuttle and electric vehicle capable of driving in urban areas.

Sonnet, a self-driving robotaxi company, provided an opportunity to experience cutting-edge future urban transportation linked to smart traffic lights and real-time traffic information at the self-driving test drive experience zone of the '2023 World Smart City Expo' held at KINTEX in Ilsan from the 6th to the 8th.

The exhibition featured the Kona EV, Carnival, and Shuttle vehicles, and our magazine rode in the Hyundai Kona EV.

A Sonet official who rode in the vehicle said, “The vehicle uses three radar sensors and one lidar sensor to detect obstacles, and the two cameras inside the vehicle are responsible for lane recognition and signal recognition, respectively.”

In keeping with Chairman Son Jun-woo's philosophy of prioritizing safety, the Sonet vehicles demonstrated stable driving by recognizing other vehicles approaching from the opposite direction on the figure-8 course and stopping and then starting off.

Sonet upgrades regular vehicles to Level 4 autonomous vehicles and offers them as autonomous robotaxis.It is also an artificial intelligence SW specialized company that develops and operates a full stack of autonomous driving SW while providing services.

Currently, Sonnet's autonomous taxis are being provided as paid transportation in Suseong Alpha City, Daegu, and can also be boarded in Daegu Technopolis and Hyeonpung Technopolis.

Vice Minister of Transportation Sonnet Research Fellow Cha Gwan-ho said, “Right after we started the paid transportation service in January of last year, there were many citizens who were unaware of the service, but now there are even passengers who regularly ride the service at Susung Alpha City.” He added, “Recently, in addition to Hyundai’s Kona vehicle, the Carnival vehicle has been added, and both autonomous driving technology and service technology have improved.”

In addition, the company also revealed plans to obtain certification as soon as possible for the shuttle vehicles, which have been improved to enable more stable autonomous driving by installing Sonet's autonomous driving software, so that citizens can ride them.

The Sonnet autonomous vehicle drives by integrating three sensors: lidar, radar, and camera. At the World Smart City Expo, it drives autonomously using SLAM technology using lidar instead of GPS because it drives indoors.

Researcher Cha Gwan-ho said the goal is to continuously develop autonomous driving technology so that safe autonomous driving services can be provided in more places.

Meanwhile, Sonnet achieved the feat of winning the Minister of Science and ICT Award at the 'Excellent Company Business Fair'.

Son Jun-woo, Chairman of Sonnet, said, "At this event, approximately 1,000 people including visitors from around the world including the U.S., Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, as well as domestic companies, local governments, researchers, and schools experienced Sonnet's autonomous driving technology." He added, "Through this expo, Sonnet Co., Ltd. showcased Lv. 4 autonomous driving software technology and the cutting-edge technology created as a result."“We are very proud to be able to showcase the city’s transportation options, and it has also been a valuable opportunity to build meaningful relationships with overseas buyers,” he said.