(ECNS) -- Robotic coaches employed at a driving school in Shanghai have helped learners improve their skills, according to the facility head.
Ten vehicles equipped with robotic coaches have provided beginners with a better learning experience and increased the pass rate by more than 20 percent compared to the traditional learning model, said Jiang Jun, head of Rongan Driving School.
Each car equipped with an AI coach has includes several radars and two high-precision GPS trackers to detect obstacles and monitor the position of the vehicle in real time.
Robotic coaches guide students to back into a garage and perform parallel parking, 90 degree turns and S-turns through real-time automatic voice reminders. Relevant content is displayed on the screen.
When students learn to drive with an AI coach, its human equivalent would still be nearby to observe each student's learning progress.
"I think a robot coach is quite good," a woman surnamed Li said, adding it would not lose its temper, which makes her feel less stressed.
According to the driving school, all AI-equipped vehicles include auxiliary safety gear. Each features throttle misstep, vehicle back slip, speed limit, electronic fence, obstacle early warning and other protective functions to ensure student safety.
"If I step on the accelerator by mistake, run off the ramp, or encounter obstacles, the car would automatically activate the brake function," said a student at the driving school.
In 2018, the first generation of AI coaches were developed and tested at Rongan Driving School. In 2019 and 2020, these coaches were upgraded twice, forming a relatively mature intelligent driving and training robot.
Robotic coaches, mainly divided into training or simulation test modes, have improved learning efficiency, saved labor costs and increased the pass rate of the driving school from 75 percent to 93 percent, said Jiang.
