FutureLink, an autonomous mobility company, announced on December 23 that its robotaxi test operations in South Korea have achieved a cumulative total of 40,000 kilometers of accident-free driving, both day and night. The test area was the Gangnam district of Seoul, known for its complex traffic environment, representing a case of Level 4 autonomous driving technology being applied in an urban setting.
FutureLink is a subsidiary of PonyLink, the Korean branch overseeing the operations of the Chinese autonomous driving company Pony.ai in South Korea. Building on Pony.ai’s technology, FutureLink has implemented a customized learning approach tailored to domestic road conditions. To address the unpredictable nature of motorcycles, frequent tailgating, and frequent lane changes characteristic of urban driving in Korea, the company adopted a “hybrid learning approach.”
This combines a “rule-based” method, where driving follows predefined rules, with an end-to-end (E2E) approach, in which the vehicle learns, makes decisions, and controls itself through neural networks. Cha Duwon, CEO of FutureLink, stated, “We have ensured safety through system redundancy,” adding, “This is a successful case of localizing Pony.ai’s technology by integrating it with Korea’s driving environment.”
FutureLink aims to enhance the social acceptance of autonomous driving technology by building partnerships with existing transportation companies and businesses. The company has signed business agreements with organizations such as the Korea Bus Transport Business Association and KG Mobility. Nam Kyungpil, Chairman of PonyLink, the parent company of FutureLink, emphasized, “FutureLink’s ultimate goal is to create a win-win model with the existing transportation industry and solve the problems of transportation-vulnerable groups through technology.”
Currently, FutureLink is collecting additional driving data in the Gangnam area using 10 vehicles with temporary operating permits and plans to gradually expand both the operating area and the scale of its operations in the future.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
