Having your car take you places without having to do any steering yourself might still seem pretty far-fetched. Or is it? Oxford University has been testing a driverless version of the popular EV, the Nissan LEAF, incorporating technology controlled from an Apple iPad mounted on the vehicle’s dashboard.
The low cost navigation system relies on small built-in cameras and lasers to gauge the hatch’s surroundings, but does not feature GPS. The driver has the option to take over at any given time with just a quick touch of the screen and can equally easily switch back to auto drive.
Co-leader of the project, Dr. Ingmar Posner plans for the next stage of the project to focus on having the robotic system understand traffic flows. In doing so it will be able to pick the best possible route to take, while helping drivers avoid congested traffic zones.
