Autonomous Transportation In The Time Of COVID-19

As society and the economy navigate through the turbulent waters ushered by the COVID-19 pandemic, robotics and autonomous modalities of transportation highlight a promising area of development.

In the short term, physical distancing and other restrictions have forced the closure of some vehicle and robotic manufacturing, adversely impacting connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) development. In the long term, however, the COVID-19 pandemic may propel the industry forward, by recasting our focus on the use of robotics and automated forms of service delivery, along with infrastructural and city planning aspects. Though a number of CAV companies have had to halt development and testing due to COVID-19, CAVs are carving out a role for themselves in a global community that is shifting priorities, altering habits, and becoming preoccupied with reducing human involvement in everyday tasks.