PC Mag – Google has become the first company to receive a license to test its self-driving car on public roads, the Nevada DMV said Monday. The license plate that will be used to officially designate the autonomous vehicle will have a red background, with an infinity symbol on the left-hand side.
The Nevada DMV said that Google and DMV officials had tested the self-driving cars along freeways, state highways and neighborhoods both in Carson City and the busy Las Vegas Strip. The newly-formed Autonomous Review Committee then met to review Google’s safety plans, employee training, system functions and accident reporting mechanisms.
Brad Templeton has a list of robotic car projects
Partial List of Robocar projects
Mercedes has announced that the 2013 S-Class will feature an autopilot for stop-and-go traffic which will be the first commercially shipped self-driving vehicle. This system is a combination of automatic cruise-control and enhanced lanekeeping, and works only under 40 km/h.
In late 2011, Toyota announced their AVOS system and provided demonstrations of their concept. Their initial vehicle featured self-delivery and parking, but they have plans for more.
At CES 2012, Audi said an upcoming car will feature a similar system for speeds under 60 kph (ie. traffic jam autopilot.)
The General Motors EN-V is a semi-working concept car with many futuristic features. It’s a two-wheeled balancing electric vehicle and features platooning and some limited obstacle avoidance and self-driving. Tianjin, one of China’s planned cities, is working with GM to use the EN-V.
BMW released a video of their ConnectedDrive Connect car which has done 5,000km on the Autobahn and 12,000 miles on test track, making it one of the top real-world cars other than Google’s.
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Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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