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Your next Uber driver might not be a person at all, after the car-sharing service confirmed it is testing self-driving technology in the US.
One car, a Ford Fusion hybrid (the US version of a Mondeo) has been fitted with a range of sensors to test out autonomous features created in Uber’s Advanced Technologies Centre (ATC), which is based in Pittsburgh, where the car is being tested.
Radars, laser scanners and high resolution cameras are among the tools being mounted to the car, which will be on the streets of the city during the experiment.
“Real-world testing is critical to our efforts to develop self-driving technology. Self-driving cars have the potential to save millions of lives and improve quality of life for people around the world,” said Uber in announcing the test.
“1.3 million people die every year in car accidents — 94% of those accidents involve human error. In the future we believe this technology will mean less congestion, more affordable and accessible transportation, and far fewer lives lost in car accidents.
“These goals are at the heart of Uber’s mission to make transportation as reliable as running water — everywhere and for everyone.”
The ride-hiring app joins Google and Tesla as being a prominent experimenter with driverless technology in the US.
The firm added that while they are still in the “early days” of testing extensive tests on real roads are needed to ensure the technology is safe for all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers.
There’s no word on how long the test will last, or if Uber has a timeframe or plan for attempting to introduce the technology to their drivers’ cars, but with Google already well over a year into testing, a future of autonomous vehicles is moving ever closer.
