SINGAPORE — Driverless cars of the future are what the public will get a taste of when a trial of these autonomous vehicles begins this week.

For a week from Thursday, the Chinese and Japanese Gardens will be hosting the trial, allowing park visitors to tour the grounds comfortably.

Announcing this yesterday were researchers from the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) and National University of Singapore (NUS), who have been studying autonomous vehicles and test-driving them at the NUS UTown campus for almost four years.

This is the first time the team is putting two of its driverless buggies on a public trial as part of the Smart and Connected Jurong Lake District Pilots and Trials Initiative, which was launched by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore in collaboration with other government agencies.

SMART project leader, Dr James Fu Guo Ming, said: “The main purpose of this is to raise public awareness about autonomous vehicles and also to gain user acceptance and public acceptance of driverless technology.”

The driverless vehicles were constructed using two basic golf carts that were outfitted with a suite of computers and laser sensors worth about S$30,000. Each buggy can ferry up to three passengers per trip at a maximum speed of 10kmh.

The carts avoid a collision with the help of the laser sensors, which are constantly mapping out the environment around the vehicle. If there is something large obstructing the route, the cart will stop. If it finds itself behind a jogger or a cyclist moving at a slower speed, the buggy slows down to travel at the same speed.

Researchers said they will shadow the buggies on electric bicycles during the trial to provide additional safety, gather feedback and be on hand to answer any questions riders might have about the technology.

Associate Professor Marcelo Ang, an NUS collaborator from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, said he hopes the public will begin to see driverless vehicles as a viable solution to the “first-and-last mile problem” — getting from home to the train station or vice versa — and be comfortable with them running alongside pedestrian traffic. “Mobility should be available to all — the elderly, young or the disabled,” he said.

Those interested in experiencing a driverless car can book their ride at http://www.smartnusav.com. The trial ends on Nov 1. Robin Choo