Driverless pod cars to take to British streets Monday, 11 November 2013 From 2017, one hundred fully autonomous pods will travel on pathways next to pedestrians, using sensors to avoid obstacles, reaching a maximum speed of 12mph Driverless pod cars to take to British streets In an effort to get people used to the idea of seeing the pods on their streets, drivers will get to try out prototypes, while remaining in full control of the vehicle in a trial due to start in 2015, as Jon Beasley, programme director from the Transport Systems Catapult, one of the collaborators on the project explained: ‘We will start them initially actually with driving, so people will be driving them to start with so that people can get used to actually seeing them on the particular pathways and they can get used to interacting with them and not being frightened by them and have confidence that they are actually safe to work with.’ Google and carmakers such as Audi AG, BMW AG, Ford Motor Co. and Volvo have been working on autonomous car technology for years. Several US states have already passed laws that would allow such vehicles on public highways. Early collaborators on the Milton Keynes project include the engineering firm Arup and Cambridge and Oxford universities. Earlier this year Oxford University scientists unveiled their latest prototype of a car that ‘drives itself’ with the help of a tablet computer. Acting like a plane on auto-pilot, it is designed to take over from humans in slow-moving heavy traffic or on a familiar route, such as a school run. It is activated using an iPad on the dashboard - by tapping on a prompt, the driver can make the cars onboard computer take the wheel. Robotcar, which is being developed by Oxford University and Nissan at Begbroke Science Park in Oxfordshire, uses a combination of external sensors and computer power to calculate the correct direction and speed. By 2015, the first group of 20 pods will be trialled on dedicated lanes, separate from pedestrian, between Milton Keynes rail station and the city centre. By mid 2017, one hundred fully autonomous pods could be running on pathways alongside people and will use sensors to avoid obstacles. Source: Telegraph
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 20:58:07 +0000
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