Autonomous vehicles and vehicles with autonomous elements are being tested and used successfully, both as part of the transport system and in closed site operations. It is still early days and there are still many as-yet untapped opportunities for their commercial application across the UK.

Public Transport in Milton Keynes.

Although experts agree that the use of autonomous vehicles without steering wheels on UK public roads is unlikely to be something that happens in the near future, there could be several different smaller applications of them in the shorter term.

In the U.S., a trial is already being carried out of one of the more obvious (none-the-less slightly daunting) commercial uses of an autonomous vehicle. The trial, in Pittsburgh, involves autonomous vehicles (with a human observer in the front) being used as part of the Uber taxi-style service.

In the UK (Milton Keynes), the Council is hosting a trial of an autonomous pod-style vehicle that it is hoped will offer a viable transportation alternative for members of the public from the railway station and other transport hubs to city centre by late 2017. Customers will be able to use their smart phone to summon the vehicle, and one of the intended benefits of using such vehicles should be fewer cars in the city centre, and therefore less congestion and a lower environmental impact.

The two-seater electric Renault Twizy being trialled in Milton Keynes and known as the ‘Catapult Lutz Pathfinder’ uses the sophisticated “Selenium” software to enable it to avoid any obstacles pedestrians, dogs, cyclists and pram-walkers and produce a safe ride for passengers. The vehicle is being tested by its development partners ‘Oxbotica’ of Oxford University’s Department of Engineering Science. The project is being funded by the government-supported Transport Systems Catapult and a company.

Other companies rumoured to be using Milton Keynes as testing ground for autonomous vehicles in development include Jaguar Land Rover, Ford and Tata.

MK Suited To Autonomous Vehicles.

Milton Keynes is favoured as a place to test autonomous vehicles because the streets are set out in a grid pattern thus making it easy to navigate and close certain areas off for testing the vehicles, and most of the land in the areas where the vehicles will be needed is owned by the public sector. This enables the installing of sensors to assist with the guidance systems for autonomous vehicles.

In Milton Keynes, there is the extra benefit of the council also investing in a three-dimensional map of the city to help with autonomous vehicle navigation, plus there is the will to integrate the vehicles into the public transport system in a real and value-adding way.

Autonomous Vehicles In Closed Site Operations.

Autonomous trucks are also now being used commercially in the Kristineberg mine in northern Sweden. The trucks have been developed by the Volvo Group and they use underground beacons as part of a floating vehicle concept where they are all tracked. Volvo has also announced plans to offer autonomous vehicles to other types of closed-site operations such as including open-pit mines and quarries, harbours and logistics hubs.

Autonomous Vehicles In Agriculture.

Vehicles that use autonomous elements are already being used in agriculture. Some tractors and combines for example already steer themselves, thus allowing their operators to monitor agricultural operations, such as seeding. Some modern tractors and combines can also automatically operate implements by switching them on and off at field boundaries thus avoiding wasting materials, and reducing costs and environmental impact.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

Autonomous vehicles and vehicles with autonomous elements are therefore already being tested and used in commercial environments and as part of the transport system. It is still early days which means that there are still many untapped opportunities to use autonomous vehicles commercially. There are some challenges and issues to consider around insurance, regulations and reliability.

At the moment, autonomous vehicles are likely to be adopted more quickly on closed sites but operators who decide to adapt such sites to work for autonomy could expect significant improvements in productivity and safety.

Small Businesses and start-ups in the UK will now have their opportunity to pitch ‘Dragon’s Den’ style to BT in a competition, the winners of which could receive expert mentoring as well as seeing their ideas rolled out to BT customers in the UK.

BT say that the object of the competition, run by their Infinity Lab, is intended to find innovations that will help “busy people stay in contact and feel connected to their family, friends and communities”. BT has suggested to potential entrants that the focus for ideas should be very much upon smart devices and apps i.e. something that can be used on the move.

Which Companies Can Enter?

The competition is open to small businesses and start-ups and essentially BT are looking for companies with an early stage product which has innovation at its heart.

What Are The Prizes?

Winners of the competition (of which there could be several) can ultimately expect a commercial partnership for BT to use or sell their new services to its customers. BT has said that this would still involve a (6 month) trial first with its TechHub community. BT has stated that winners of the competition can expect to receive:

• Mentoring in the form of support from BT research, engineering, commercial and marketing teams, with a view to helping to develop the product or service.
• Support from BT to evaluate and trial the product or service.
• Six months’ membership of BT’s TechHub entrepreneur community. This will come with flexible desk space at its main London office and access to events.

How Do You Apply?

Applicants will need to complete an online form to describe their product or service and should also provide a short video about the product or service. BT has said that the video is optional but is ‘strongly advised’.

The submissions will then be reviewed by a team of our product and technology experts, and the shortlisted companies will be called for interview with finalists to present a “Dragons’ Den” style pitch of their idea to BT executives at an event in January 2017. Potential applicants should visit https://www.btplc.com/btinfinitylab/FriendsFamily/index.htm. The closing date for applications is 10th December 2016.

10th Competition

This is the 10th such innovation challenge competition in the last 3 years run by BT’s Infinity Lab and although the programme aims to identify potential innovation partners, BT does not intend to invest or take equity in the applicant companies as part of this process. The previous 9 competitions (launched in partnership with TechHub) are reported to have attracted entries from around the world and winning success stories include ‘SeenIt’ who are now working with BT Sport, and the connected cities winner ‘See.Sense’ which is now in trial with MK Smart.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

For BT, this is clearly a relatively easy and cost effective way to find product and service ideas that could be lucrative in the future, enable them to keep a competitive edge, and help retain and attract customers. For your business, this could be a real and rare opportunity to bring your idea quickly through development to a large existing nationwide customer base with the help and support of a leading company.

Police in England and Wales have announced that they will be conducting a week-long campaign that is focused on catching and cracking down on drivers who are using hand-held mobile phones while driving.

As well as the obvious motive to improve safety on the roads now, this latest crackdown is part of a longer term stated aim to make driving distracted “as socially unacceptable as drink driving” according to The National Police Chiefs’ Council.

What Kind Of Crackdown?

This latest crackdown by Police will use dedicated patrols using unmarked vans, helmet cams, high-seated vehicles and high vantage points to catch offending motorists. Police will also be working with paramedics as part of this campaign, and there will be social media videos and messages, warning messages displayed on commuter routes, and schemes enabling “community spotters” to target repeat offenders.

Won’t Work Say Some Critics

Some critics, including family members of those killed by distracted drivers, say that at best motorists may stop using their mobile phones during the crackdown … and then return to their use afterward. Critics have also pointed out that the amount of technology in new cars could also be regarded as a cause of distraction while driving.

31% Still Doing It Says RAC Survey

Driving while using a handheld mobile phone has been illegal in the UK since December 2003 and yet the results of a recent RAC survey show that 31% of motorists said that they had used a handheld mobile phone while driving. What is more alarming and what is one of the main reasons for this week’s police crackdown, is that this is a large increase on the 8% of those recorded in survey 2 years ago as still using a mobile phone while driving.

What Is The Law?

According the UK government website, it is illegal to ride a motorcycle or drive using hand-held phones or similar devices. Many UK drivers may also still not be aware that it is also illegal to use hand-held phones or similar devices if you are stopped at traffic lights or queuing in traffic.

If you are using a hand-held phone or similar device when supervising a learner driver or rider then this is also an offence on UK roads.

Hands-Free OK If Not Thought To Be Distracted

Using hands-free devices, sat navs and 2-way radios when driving / riding is legal, but you can still be stopped by police if they believe that you are distracted by the use of the device and you are therefore not in control of your vehicle.

Big Penalties – Bigger To Come

The normal penalties for a distraction offence due to hand held mobile device use while driving is 3 penalty points on your licence and a fine of £100. For new drivers, the penalty is 6 or more points on the licence. A court visit could also result in fines of up to £1,000 or £2,500 if you drive a bus or goods vehicle.

This latest crackdown comes just ahead of government plans to double fines and points for using a mobile while driving.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

If you and your employees drive to and from work and as part of your work it is essential that a hands-free device is used for any calls, or that calls are only made or received when your vehicle is safely parked. Even checking texts is constitutes a distraction. The results of not heeding the law on this matter are not just the terrible human consequences, but also the potential damage to your business through driving penalties and reputational damage from the local publicity.

According to data recently published by ‘Hired’, women working in the technology industry in the UK earn 9% less than men in the same jobs.

Evidence of the Gender Pay Gap.

More evidence of a long-acknowledged gender pay gap in the UK has been highlighted by the ‘Hired’ survey that analysed 10,000 job offers made to 3,000 candidates across 750 companies.

9% less income equates to £5,000 less per year for women, and it is no accident that the findings of the survey were announced two days before the so-called Equal Pay Day. This is the day identified by equal pay charity the Fawcett Society that women will essentially be working for free until the end of the year in relation to the extra pay received by their male counterparts.

Big Gap For Software Engineers.

Those women building a career as a Software Engineer, for example, can expect a pay gap that is significant now but is likely to widen dramatically further down the line. According to the ‘Hired’ survey results, a female Software Engineer will earn 7% less than her male equivalent in the early years. This gap widens to 10% less, two to six years in, beyond which the gap widens to over 30% less. This will see a female Software Engineer’s salary of £53,000 being vastly outstripped by her male equivalent’s salary of £65,000.

Why The Gap in This Industry?

A gender pay gap is unfortunately not unique to the technology industry in the UK. ONS figures released last month  show that across all UK professions, women earn on average 13.9% less than men.

Some technical commentators have suggested that one factor contributing to the gap that has been demonstrated in the ‘Hired’ survey may be the size of the company. Women in companies with between 200 to 1,000 staff tend to be underpaid in relation to male staff members by an average of 17%. This could be because these medium sized companies slip through the gap between the regulation associated with larger companies and the transparency of hiring practices associated with smaller companies.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

The published findings of this report were intended to make employers think about issues of gender bias in their own companies. It will soon be a requirement anyway that employers publish details of their pay gap and this may also be another step towards closing gender inequality gaps in business.

Expert employment commentators suggest that other ways for companies to a move towards a more equal work situation for employees could include creating more quality part-time work, encouraging men to play a greater role in paid and unpaid care work, and making sure that your business at least has an action plan to help address any gender pay gap you may have.

For those women applying for jobs, some of the strongest advice to avoid being the victim of a gender pay gap from the outset is to know their market worth in the interview and job searching process, and to ask for as much as men.

For businesses, it’s a case of trying to reduce genuine inequalities through means such as offering salaries based on up-to-date knowledge of the market and the candidate’s market worth, offering training to help employees to develop greater worth, and conducting regular salary audits to ensure fairness.