Members of the public got a chance to take a ride on the very first autonomous vehicle operating in Western Canada on Saturday.
The Electronic Autonomous Vehicle, or ELA, was announced earlier this week and is set up to ferry passengers between the Calgary Zoo and Telus Spark.
The vehicle runs in a pre-programmed route and is guided by sensors and GPS technology that help it move along its journey without hitting anything.
For the first little while, an operator will be on board ELA to make sure that everything runs smoothly but the shuttle drives completely on its own.
Visitors to Telus Spark also had the chance to look at a special exhibit devoted to ELA and the technology behind it.
“There’s fiber optics underneath the pavement and inside ELA there are two key pieces of technology. One is a light detection and ranging device and a super fancy version of a GPS,” said Josephine Tsang with Telus Spark.
You can book rides on ELA by going to the company’s website. They'll be available until the end of October.
(With files from Brad MacLeod)
