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posted by janrinok on Saturday August 20 2016, @04:57AM   Printer-friendly
from the only-way-to-find-potential-problems dept.

Uber will pick up ride-hailing passengers with autonomous cars in a test beginning in Pittsburgh next month. Pittsburgh is the home of Carnegie Mellon University:

Starting later this month, Uber will allow customers in downtown Pittsburgh to summon self-driving cars from their phones, crossing an important milestone that no automotive or technology company has yet achieved. Google, widely regarded as the leader in the field, has been testing its fleet for several years, and Tesla Motors offers Autopilot, essentially a souped-up cruise control that drives the car on the highway. Earlier this week, Ford announced plans for an autonomous ride-sharing service. But none of these companies has yet brought a self-driving car-sharing service to market.

Uber's Pittsburgh fleet, which will be supervised by humans in the driver's seat for the time being, consists of specially modified Volvo XC90 sport-utility vehicles outfitted with dozens of sensors that use cameras, lasers, radar, and GPS receivers. Volvo Cars has so far delivered a handful of vehicles out of a total of 100 due by the end of the year. The two companies signed a pact earlier this year to spend $300 million to develop a fully autonomous car that will be ready for the road by 2021.

Uber also acquired self-driving truck startup Otto.

It is not clear whether Uber users will be able to opt out of getting the surprise autonomous Volvo SUVs sent to them (due to privacy or safety concerns), but rides in the autonomous cars will be free during the Pittsburgh test.

Also at NYT, WSJ, TechCrunch, and The Verge.

Previously: Uber Testing Driverless Car in Pittsburgh


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  • (Score: 1) by anubi on Saturday August 20 2016, @07:01AM

    by anubi (2828) on Saturday August 20 2016, @07:01AM (#390518) Journal

    I believe the "driver's" main job is to chaperone the vehicle and hold you accountable if you vandalize or make a mess in it. Also someone to hold accountable for nannying you to obey whatever passenger laws are in effect... i.e. tossing empties out the window....

    --
    "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 20 2016, @07:13AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 20 2016, @07:13AM (#390522)

    Firstly, at least three persons shall be employed to drive or conduct such locomotive, and if more than two waggons or carriages he attached thereto, an additional person shall be employed, who shall take charge of such waggons or carriages;
    Secondly, one of such persons, while any locomotive is in motion, shall precede such locomotive on foot by not less than sixty yards, and shall carry a red flag constantly displayed, and shall warn the riders and drivers of horses of the approach of such locomotives, and shall signal the driver thereof when it shall be necessary to stop, and shall assist horses, and carriages drawn by horses, passing the same