Duckiebots in Traffic: Who Goes Where?

Description

How do autonomous vehicles behave in real traffic when they have preferences, share lanes, and encounter merge zones? At this interactive station, you’ll witness small robotic vehicles – our Duckiebots – navigating these very challenges.

The Duckiebots drive along a circular track composed of several color-coded lanes. Each Duckiebot has a “favorite lane” — it moves faster on its preferred color and slows down on others. At specific points along the loop, the robots must switch lanes or merge with others into a shared path — much like cars during lane changes or merging in urban traffic.

What makes it exciting is how these preferences and interactions create visible differences in performance. Visitors can observe how the Duckiebots influence one another, where delays occur, and how cooperative behavior improves overall traffic flow. The combination of lane choice, priority negotiation, and intelligent movement paints a playful yet realistic picture of modern mobility challenges.

Guided by our team from the Traffic Process Automation group, this experience offers an engaging and accessible look into future mobility systems — fun and insightful for all age groups.