Hitachi Develops Autonomous Vehicle Operation Control System, Confirms Usefulness in Real-Field Demonstration

Figure 1: Overall view of the autonomous vehicle operation control system

Hitachi, Ltd. (hereinafter, Hitachi) has developed an autonomous vehicle operation control system, integrating physical AI for mobility with data collection and management platform technologies. This development leverages its long-standing expertise in supporting social infrastructure, aiming to solve social issues such as driver shortages in regional transportation and an increase in mobility-challenged individuals. For the social implementation of transport services utilizing autonomous vehicles, a "traffic control" mechanism is necessary to operate multiple vehicles safely and efficiently. However, technically, there were challenges such as automatic adjustment of operation plans to maintain punctuality, quick situational awareness and response during sudden operational events, and labor-saving in operation and maintenance, including abnormal road environment detection and remote vehicle monitoring. In response, the system developed by Hitachi automatically creates operation plans based on real-time AI analysis and reflects them in traffic control, achieving highly efficient and punctual operations. Furthermore, by utilizing digital twin technology and remote monitoring support AI, it aims to balance safety assessment of the driving environment with reduced operational load through small-team operations. A verification test was conducted in late March 2026, utilizing the autonomous driving bus route at Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus as a real-world field, confirming its usefulness. Based on these results, Hitachi will continue research and development in the medium to long term, aiming for the social implementation of this system while also linking data collection and management platform technologies with the entire social infrastructure. As part of this, based on the grand design*1 of the "Next-Generation Future City Co-creation Project" promoted with Hitachi City, Hitachi will work towards the social implementation of this system in Hitachi City's public transportation, contributing to the realization of sustainable urban transport.

*1 Hitachi City and Hitachi, Ltd. developed a grand design for the "Future Vision of Hitachi City's Public Transport in 2035": November 22, 2024

Background and Challenges

In regional transportation, maintaining services is becoming difficult due to driver shortages and the aging workforce. Additionally, with population decline, line reductions and abolitions are progressing due to decreased users. As a result, the challenge is to reconstruct residents' mobility in a sustainable manner. Against this background, technology development is underway through industry, government, and academia for the social implementation of transport services utilizing autonomous vehicles*2. In implementation, establishing an efficient operational system is crucial, not just vehicle driving technology. For example, general regional bus businesses operate dozens to 100 vehicles across numerous wide-area sections, requiring the construction of a system to support the operation and management of all vehicles. However, operating autonomous vehicles on this scale still presents challenges: automatic adjustment of operation plans in response to delays and changes in traffic conditions, immediate response to sudden events based on vehicle and environmental information, and an operational system that allows efficient monitoring of vehicles with a small number of personnel. Therefore, current transport services have not fully established a mechanism for stable and efficient centralized management and operation of multiple vehicles.

*2 Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, "Autonomous Driving Level 4 and Other Advanced Mobility Services Research and Development and Social Implementation Project"

Features of the Technology Developed to Solve Challenges

To solve these challenges, Hitachi leveraged its expertise in optimizing entire systems to suit individual on-site conditions of multiple facilities and systems, cultivated through its social infrastructure businesses, and utilized AI to develop a new autonomous vehicle operation control system. This system combines the following three technologies to build a mechanism that supports the operation of multiple vehicles:

1. Dynamic Operation Management Technology for Highly Efficient and Punctual Operations

By fusing optimization and prediction technologies cultivated in the social infrastructure field with AI, the system plans and sends control instructions for autonomous vehicle speeds in real-time. This enables efficient operation that considers the latest delay situations and overall traffic conditions, allowing transport operators to reduce the risk of service stoppages and increased delays, leading to improved service quality.

2. Driving Environment Digital Twin x Impact Prediction AI Technology to Support Safe Operations

This technology integrates digital twin technology, which reproduces real-world driving environments (vehicles, roads) in 3D while visualizing daily changes, with AI technology that predicts the impact of these changes on autonomous driving. This enables risk avoidance by detecting changes that hinder operations and reduces costs required for inspecting and maintaining the driving environment.

3. Remote Monitoring Support AI Technology to Support Small-Team Operations

By utilizing AI for scene analysis, this technology estimates the necessity of support from remote monitors or on-site personnel, thereby assisting supervisors in their decision-making and tasks. This allows transport operators to efficiently monitor and maintain vehicles with a small number of personnel, realizing overall operational efficiency and smooth operation management.

Conclusion of Demonstration Experiment