SINGAPORE - Driverless road sweepers have been deployed to clean limited areas at one-north, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and CleanTech Park at Jurong Innovation District as part of trials launched on Wednesday (Jan 13) . If the trials, expected to run till July, are successful, these "autonomous environmental service vehicles" (AESVs) will pave the way for pilot deployment on roads during off-peak hours - as soon as the early 2020s. The trials commenced on Wednesday after the National Environment Agency (NEA) said two AESV prototypes have successfully demonstrated their features. The proof-of-concept trials of the AESVs will be conducted progressively, starting with off-peak timings such as weekends and evenings, in designated small-scale environments at one-north, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and CleanTech Park at Jurong Innovation District. In adherence to the Land Transport Authority's safety framework for autonomous vehicle trials, both AESVs will at all times have a safety driver on board who is trained to take immediate control of the vehicle if required. Operation of the AESV prototypes are also monitored in real-time from a command centre by an off-site...