CABA authorized tests of autonomous cars and delivery robots on the streets

The Argentine Republic, under the management of Javier Milei, has taken an unprecedented step in its history by officially authorizing pilot tests of autonomous vehicles and delivery robots on public roads. This groundbreaking technological advancement, which will allow for the evaluation of advanced systems' performance under real traffic conditions in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, to gather information aimed at a definitive regulation, is made possible by a profound change in the urban mobility regulation.

The revolutionary measure, formalized under resolution 170/SECT/26, emphasizes in its technical considerations the immense value of private technological development.

The signing authorities assert emphatically that autonomous vehicles “constitute a disruptive innovation in the field of motor transport, with the potential to significantly reduce traffic accidents, optimize mobility efficiency, and decrease vehicular congestion”.

Regarding the technical specifics of the regulation, the authorization includes the testing of units corresponding to Level 4 of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).

According to this international technical classification, which extends up to level 6, at Level 4 the software fully assumes driving decisions, meaning the car "can perform all driving tasks by itself without the need for human intervention during the authorized route".

However, the regulation clarifies that this autonomy is not unlimited: the operation of the units is strictly restricted to previously defined and mapped conditions or geographical areas.

The integration of this technology into the urban ecosystem will be executed under a strictly gradual and controlled scheme. In a first stage, it will be mandatory for all vehicles involved in the trials to have "a person on board capable of taking control in case of a failure" or assume immediate control.

This requirement for human supervision can only be eliminated in later phases, provided that the technology corporations demonstrate satisfactory results and meet the required safety conditions.

On the other hand, the ambitious regulatory reform is not limited to passenger cars but extends its benefits to commercial logistics through the use of autonomous ground robots (or ground drones).