A Practical Study of an Autonomous Electric Golf Cart for Inter-Building Passenger Mobility

Global road safety reports identify human factors as the leading causes of traffic accidents, particularly behaviors such as speeding, drunk driving, and driver distraction, emphasizing the need for autonomous driving technologies to enhance transport safety. This research aims to provide a practical model for the development of autonomous driving systems as part of an autonomous transportation system for inter-building passenger mobility, intended to enable safe and efficient short-distance transport between buildings in semi-open environments such as university campuses. This work presents a fully integrated autonomous platform combining LiDAR, cameras, and IMU sensors for mapping, perception, localization, and control within a drive-by-wire framework, achieving superior coordination in driving, braking, and obstacle avoidance and validated under real campus conditions. The electric golf cart prototype achieved centimeter-level mapping accuracy (0.32 m), precise localization (0.08 m), and 2D object detection with an mAP value exceeding 70%, demonstrating accurate perception and positioning under real-world conditions. These results confirm its reliable performance and suitability for practical autonomous operation. Field tests showed that the vehicle maintained appropriate speeds and path curvature while performing effective obstacle avoidance. The findings highlight the system’s potential to improve safety and reliability in short-distance autonomous mobility while supporting scalable smart mobility development.