Self-Driving Cars Just Around The Corner
Self-driving cars could be less than a decade from taking to the streets. Several local and international companies recently made moves toward further investment in the emerging technology.
Uber just bought startup Geometric Intelligence, a 15-person artificial intelligence startup focused on self-driving cars, reports the San Francisco Business Times. Uber will move the team to San Francisco and turn the company into a new division dubbed Uber AI Labs. Uber already has started testing a fleet of driverless cars in Pittsburgh.
Despite indications Apple scaled back its plans to build its own self-driving cars earlier this year, recent reports indicate the company is moving forward with at least self-driving software.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration also is considering new rules and regulations for self-driving vehicles and over 1,100 companies, including Apple, General Motors and Alphabet, submitted letters about these regulations, according to the SFBT.
Tesla is well on its way to developing a self-driving car, as is BMW, which could soon test self-driving cars in Munich. Volkswagen’s Moia could have on-demand self-driving cars as early as 2021. Intel, Delphi Automotive and Mobileye could also be joining forces to develop self-driving technology.
