Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) presented TalTech Iseauto, a smart city project and the future of autonomous vehicles to the European Commission and Parliament members and industry representatives on 7 February in Brussels.
The Iseauto, built in just a year in collaboration with TalTech and Silberauto, has already attracted attention in Brussels as a unique and innovative autonomous vehicle that can operate in winter conditions. At the high-level EU Industry Days on 5 and 6 February, opened by the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, the Estonians' Iseauto was noticed by many top-level industrialists and European decision-makers.
Jean-Eric Paquet, Director-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission, who came to see the Isauto, found that there is now a reason to come to Tallinn to ride the TalTech's Iseauto. Jean-Eric Paquet praised the new nickname of the University – TalTech, which he said was a bold and smart choice: "Everyone knows it!"
European Union decision-makers, researchers and investors, as well as journalists, were attracted to the projects of Iseauto and a smart city to be built in TalTech campus, as well as other areas of the University - nanomaterials, cyber security and e-government technologies.
According to Raivo Sell, the Project Manager of the Iseauto and TalTech engineering scientist, the conference guests knew about autonomous vehicles, but many saw the first self-driving van for the first time. “Most questions asked are about vehicle parameters such as range of motion, sensors, technical solutions, cyber security and autonomy. Visitors were impressed that in such a small country this remarkable device was made; they were also surprised by the speed of vehicle completion – just one year from the idea to implementation. Recommendations were made for participation in various European funding programs, as well as for example the implementation of the Isauto at large European airports, both indoors and outdoors, and for transport of people and goods in large industrial areas, ”says senior research scientist Raivo Sell.
The TalTech Iseauto team hopes to find partners in Europe among car manufacturers and researchers.
The next step in creating a new car is to improve and develop the ability to drive with other cars, bikes and people in the city. This means above all innovations in the software.
The February 7 seminar “Mobility as a service and autonomous vehicles – trends and developments in the EU” takes place in cooperation between TalTech, the Estonian Research Council, the EU Representation in Estonia and the City of Helsinki. The seminar is opened by Clyde Kull, Estonian Ambassador to the EU, Maive Rute, Deputy Director-General of the European Commission's Joint Research Center, and Henrik Hololei, Director-General for Mobility and Transport of the European Commission.
The first presentation of the TalTech Iseauto in Brussels is financed by the European Union from the ASTRA program.
The opportunity to become a TalTech student in product development and robotics or any other engineering field or IT, and to participate in the construction of Iseauto 2 is already today: admission of new students to TalTech started on November 1.
Receive the Funding Newswire each Tuesday, our Policy Bulletin each Thursday, and news about bridging Europe’s east-west innovation gap twice a month in The Widening. 
A unique international forum for public research organisations and companies to connect their external engagement with strategic interests around their R&D system.
