A self-driving startup that caters to the elderly has transformed its autonomous minivans to self-sterilize the vehicle’s interior after each ride through a high-tech ultraviolet lighting system. The company, Voyage, adapted the sterilization technique from ambulances dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Voyage’s new technological implementation is being tested in the G3 version of the self-driving Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans in San Jose.
The G3 system consists of upgraded software, sensors, and computing power. The system was developed in a partnership with Fiat Chrysler, Nvidia, and Blackberry. The cost of this technology was only half of its previous venture, according to a Voyage spokesperson. The goal behind the program is to prevent the spread of COVID-19 from passenger to passenger in the self-driving cars through sterilizing the interior between rides. Not only does the ultraviolet tech kill COVID-19, but it can also rid the autonomous vehicle of other infectious viruses such as the flu.
Read More: Robotaxi Startup Voyage Loads Self-Driving Vans With Coronavirus-Killing Tech
