Some of us don’t even trust our friends to drive, so we’re not entirely sure how Google’s self-driven car has managed to fare so well in its bid for road-legal status over in America.
Google’s car – which is actually a modified Toyota Prius – passed for use on the roads in Nevada back in 2012, and its success seems to have pushed a team from Oxford University into gear in their own bid to create driver-less vehicles for use here in the UK.
A converted Nissan LEAF, the RobotCar is said to be a breakthrough in the development of safe, everyday driverless vehicles capable of reducing congestion and road accidents.
The team have been careful to implement a number of safety precautions in their new car. Before you can start the car’s driverless system you need to nagivate through a few safety checks on the car’s internal user interface which, it turns out, is actually an iPad.
Lasers mounted around the car scan the roads ahead to watch out for crossing pedestrians and other dangers, and bring the vehicle to a controlled stop should anything get in its way.
We’re not entirely sure when the self-driving car will be available, but we’re certainly looking forward to seeing it!
Find out more about how the car works at RobotCar UK.