Paerata Rise, the largest housing development under construction in Auckland, New Zealand, is set to become a smart village with the creation of a community based private mobile network and an autonomous shuttle for residents.

Think Robotics, Dense Air and Ohmio have partnered to develop and build a system that will provide on demand transport to future residents of Paerata Rise via a smart phone app. Both the network and the technology it will power are in test stages and are set to go live next year.

“Our goal is to be one of the most desirable places to live in Auckland and becoming a smart village is an extension of this,” said Chris Johnston, executive director for Paerata Rise. “It means we are able to offer the utmost connection to our residents through a private network, and the most cutting-edge technologies. The realities of smart villages and connected neighbourhoods are starting to emerge in the world around us, however the real smarts need to be built into the foundations of communities which is why we are executing this project at this stage of our development.”

Throughout the current test phase, those working on the project will use a small cell network deployed by Dense Air to trial different electronic methods and sensors to collect data and continue on-road trials of the autonomous shuttle, which arrived onsite in October.

“We are proud to be able to support the unique, first class community being built at Paerata Rise with the latest concepts in mobile network technology,” said Ross Spearman, general manager of Dense Air in New Zealand. “While everyone has experienced the frustration of bad coverage, ultimately an excellent network should go unnoticed, instead allowing users’ mobile applications, services and other benefits to come to the fore.”

The self-driving shuttle is a key element to the lifestyle Paerata Rise will offer residents as it will improve access between facilities such as park and ride spaces and the Paerata train station, which is in plans to be developed.

“The autonomous vehicle will act as both an autonomous transport vehicle, navigating around a predefined circuit for residents to utilise, and as a platform for other services, such as connectivity to the outside world, to be delivered,” said Ohmio’s executive chairman Mohammed Hikmet. “We were able to test, for the first time in New Zealand, our Hail service that allows the autonomous vehicle to pick up passengers on demand. Paerata Rise provided us the right environment to test our technologies and its interaction with the rest of the ecosystem elements.”

Think Robotics has experience in wireless networks, edge computing, smart ecosystems and robotics from farming to engineering, manufacturing, the hospitality and tourism industry and homes.

“Insights gained from data are used to manage assets, resources and services efficiently,” said Michael Johnston from Think Robotics. “In return, those data are used to improve the operations across the entire ecosystem.”

The Paerata Rise development is the largest housing development under construction in Auckland. Over the next 25 years the 4500 homes will be built over the 300-hectare site. Nestled among the 4500 homes, Paerata Rise residents will have access to primary and secondary schools, tennis courts, a community swimming pool, and a range of outdoor and indoor sporting facilities.

Ohmio is New Zealand’s only autonomous shuttle manufacturer. Ohmio self-driving vehicle technology was originally created by HMI Technologies in Pakuranga. Ohmio vehicles can connect with other vehicles, infrastructure and traffic management systems. An open platform allows for interconnectivity with other systems and providers to create integrated mobility.

In the past year Ohmio has partnered with Spark to showcase a 5G autonomous shuttle, Christchurch International Airport to deliver a 3D printed and autonomous vehicle, and the Korean Transport Institute to deliver international sales of autonomous vehicles.

Dense Air in New Zealand provides a shared neutral-host 4G and 5G mobile network densification and extension services. Available on dedicated licensed radio spectrum assets acquired by Dense Air, its services complement existing mobile operators, and are designed to improve coverage and capacity in locations that are technically difficult or commercially uneconomic to support, or where a dedicated private network is required.