Automotive

Self-driving car to cross US from California to New York

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Delphi's autonomous car is set to travel 3,500 miles (5,600 km) from San Francisco to New York
Delphi's autonomous car is set to travel 3,500 miles (5,600 km) from San Francisco to New York
A safety driver at the wheel of Delphi's autonomous vehicle, but not controlling it
A screen showing information from the sensors and software of Delphi's autonomous car
The start and finish points for Delphi's autonomous car
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We may all be excited about Google's autonomous car hitting the roads of California this year, but that's small-fry to British-based auto-firm Delphi. The company's autonomous car is set to travel 3,500 miles (5,600 km) across the US, starting near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on March 22.

"Delphi had great success testing its car in California and on the streets of Las Vegas,” says Jeff Owens, chief technology officer at Delphi. "Now it’s time to put our vehicle to the ultimate test by broadening the range of driving conditions. This drive will help us collect invaluable data in our quest to deliver the best automotive grade technologies on the market."

Delphi says the trip will allow it to further develop its active safety technologies, which allow the vehicle to instantaneously make complex decisions, such as how to stop and proceed at crossroads, timing how to merge onto highways and calculating safe maneuvers around cyclists. It will also allow the vehicle to be tested in scenarios that could not otherwise be recreated, such as facing changing weather conditions, varied terrain and road hazards.

A screen showing information from the sensors and software of Delphi's autonomous car

Among the other technologies employed by the Delphi vehicle are radar, vision and Advanced Drive Assistance Systems and a powerful microprocessor to drive its features and software.

According to Delphi, the trip from San Francisco to New York will be the longest automated drive ever attempted in North America. You'll be able to follow its progress at on Twitter.

The video below shows the autonomous vehicle in action.

Source: Delphi

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4 comments
Rigby5
Completely irresponsible. Should be arrested. There is no way an autonomous car could ever be safe. It is not just that driving relies on visual clues from driver to driver, but that no software is without glitches. An autonomous car could also be used like a drone to deliver terrorist bombs. The whole idea is totally absurd. The legal fees alone after the first fatality will bankrupt Audi. Any law maker allowing this will be lynched. Ridiculous. Dumbest thing I ever heard of. If I saw one on the street, I would immediately run it off the road.
Andrew Priest
Because human drivers are without anything like glitches, eh? Some human foibles automated cars won't exhibit: They will never get tired, drunk, distracted, drugged or fall asleep. They won't fiddle with their phone or suffer road hypnosis. Oh, and they won't recklessly endanger people's lives over petty intolerance.
The greatest advantage of computer drivers is that we can engineer them to be better. Technology can improve them. How is the project to engineer better human drivers going? Yeah.
RehRek
I like the video at 1:15 it looks like there is a video edit showing the blinker on then is removed to show it off. It may be just me, but it looks like an edit.
Looking forward to self driving, and self charging cars... the world will be a safer place! and this will definitely change travel, imagine being able to tell your car to take you somewhere and then just taking a nap while you get there. Simply awesome!
Roger Aikins
If you see youth or young folks excited about it then buckle down and be ready its the future and you cant stop it