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Virginia Tech Testing "Driverless" Car Driven by Guy Wearing a Car Seat Costume

posted by martyb on Thursday August 10 2017, @03:36AM   
from the please-be-seated dept.

McGruber writes in with a story which suggested:

What do you do when you see a van that apparently has no driver? Following reports that a 'Driverless' Vehicle was cruising the streets of Clarendon, Virginia, reporter Adam Tuss chased down the 2017 Ford Transit Connect van and discovered it was being driven by a man wearing a car seat costume.

After multiple inquiries[...] the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute said Monday afternoon that the van and van driver are part of a study they are conducting on driverless cars. The worker was wearing the uniform he was supposed to wear.

"The driver's seating area is configured to make the driver less visible within the vehicle, while still allowing him or her the ability to safely monitor and respond to surroundings," a statement from the institute says.

Virginia Tech declined to make the half car seat, half man -- as Tuss put it -- available for an interview.

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Original Submission

• Better than the other way around (Score: 3, Funny) by c0lo on Thursday August 10 2017, @05:30AM

  by c0lo (156) on Thursday August 10 2017, @05:30AM (#551476) Journal

  Ford Transit Connect van ... being driven by a man wearing a car seat costume.

  I'd be more worried by a man being driven by a car seat wearing a Ford Transit van costume.

  (a car seat "wearing" a Ford Transit van is not looking weird, it's actually the natural norm. However, having the combination driving a human is somewhat disturbing).

  --
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0

  Starting Score:	1		point
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