If you still think that cars that drive themselves are far-fetched, it’s time to stop doubting.
Volkswagen has converted a Passat to operate with minimal attention from the driver, adding its name to a growing list of companies, including Google and General Motors, which are working on autonomous cars.
Volkswagen’s system is called Temporary Auto Pilot (TAP) and uses a series of cameras and sensors to control the vehicle at speeds upwards of 80 mph.
In another milestone, the State of Nevada just passed a bill directing its Department of Transportation to develop rules and regulations to govern the use of driverless cars on its roads. It appears to be the first law sanctioning a driverless car.
As for VW’s system; it uses many of the safety features on vehicles today such as lane assist and adaptive cruise control. In fact, it uses mainly production-ready components, but it still requires some supervision from a human driver. To read more, click here. –Bill D.
Source: Forbes, Popular Science
