In Gangneung, South Korea, pressing the accelerator caused a vehicle nearly 300 kilometers away in Daegu to move. Instead of a road, a monitor was in front of the driver. As the steering wheel was turned, the actual vehicle in Daegu changed direction, creating an experience akin to a driving simulator.
On October 19, visitors at the Lotte Innovate exhibition booth during the 2026 ITS World Congress had the opportunity to experience remote driving technology firsthand. The program connected a driving device in Gangneung with a real vehicle in Daegu through real-time communication, allowing control from such a distance.
What technology is required to drive a vehicle remotely from Gangneung to Daegu? According to Lotte Innovate, the key lies in real-time communication and stability.
Lotte Innovate believes that the core competitive advantage of remote driving is the ability to relay vehicle movements and surrounding conditions in real-time while reliably responding to communication delays or interruptions. To achieve this, the company has established a multi-communication network based on 4G and 5G, focusing on technologies that address potential quality degradation and communication delays during video transmission.
Outside the exhibition hall, attendees boarded Lotte Innovate's autonomous shuttle, which is characterized by the absence of a driver's seat and steering wheel.
According to Lotte Innovate, this vehicle began trial operations in December 2022 and has been in regular service since February 2023. It is equipped with three LiDAR sensors on both the front and rear to detect surrounding obstacles.
A monitor inside the vehicle displays the driving route in green lines. When nearby objects approach, they are indicated in yellow or red based on the level of danger, prompting the vehicle to slow down or stop accordingly.
During actual operation, there were moments when the shuttle did not start immediately, despite the absence of visible vehicles ahead. This was due to the detection of potential hazards, such as approaching vehicles from behind. Once the danger passed, the shuttle resumed movement.
This vehicle is authorized to operate at speeds of up to 40 km/h but currently travels at a maximum speed of about 32 km/h in Gangneung. It utilizes signal information provided by the traffic center to navigate intersections and compensates for weak GPS signals in certain areas by relying on LiDAR data to determine its location.
Over the past six years, Lotte Innovate has operated autonomous driving services across nine regions, accumulating a total of 110,000 kilometers driven and serving 40,000 passengers. The company is now focused on expanding the types of autonomous vehicles used for passenger transport.
Looking ahead, Lotte Innovate plans to collaborate with major automakers like Hyundai to diversify the types of vehicles used for shuttles and buses. The company also has long-term plans to expand its service areas into logistics, patrols, and mobile unmanned stores.
Autonomous driving is a key area of Lotte Innovate's integrated mobility business. The company aims to combine its experience in building traffic infrastructure, such as smart tolling and next-generation intelligent transportation systems (C-ITS), with autonomous driving technology to connect vehicles, roads, and traffic management systems. It also seeks to explore international markets.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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