Driverless cars in Britain? Why car innovation can only stretch so far

bigmck said:

I have never seen a "driverless car". How do they know how to follow the road?

Pigeons

The white car 1/2 way down the page is what I see.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/28/te...heel.html?_r=0

How does it work?

Powered by an electric motor with around a 100 mile range, the car uses a combination of sensors and software to locate itself in the real world combined with highly accurate digital maps. A GPS is used, just like the satellite navigation systems in most cars, to get a rough location of the car, at which point radar, lasers and cameras take over to monitor the world around the car, 360-degrees.

The software can recognise objects, people, cars, road marking, signs and traffic lights, obeying the rules of the road and allowing for multiple unpredictable hazards, including cyclists. It can even detect road works and safely navigate around them.

The new prototype has more sensors fitted to it that can see further (up to 600 feet in all directions) and in greater detail than the ones available on the previous repurposed Lexus and Toyota vehicles.

Source

A Guy

According to your link A Guy, it only goes 25 mph. That is pretty slow and if it ever got hit it would be like an eggshell. I don't know about that. I think I will stick with my truck. :)

No, I see them on the freeway going at least 70. They are Toyotas and Lexus, normal looking except for that spinning thing on the roof, and various gadgets outside. Maybe that new model with no steering wheel goes 25?

A Guy

A Guy said:

No, I see them on the freeway going at least 70. They are Toyotas and Lexus, normal looking except for that spinning thing on the roof, and various gadgets outside. Maybe that new model with no steering wheel goes 25?

A Guy

Yes, it is the new model.