Many car makers such as Tesla have been testing self-driving cars for a while. Now, U.K. is allowing autonomous vehicles to roam their streets to be part of the initiative.
Self-Driving Cars On UK
Last Oct. 11, a small car, or pod as they call it, created by auto makers with autonomous driving capability was tested on the streets of U.K. The pod has no driver, but it can accommodate two persons. Many hope that this is the start of having fully functional cars in their streets.
"Today's first public trials of driverless vehicles in our towns is a ground-breaking moment," said Greg Clark, Britain's business minister. "The global market for autonomous vehicles present huge opportunities for our automotive and technology firms and the research that underpins the technology and software will have applications way beyond autonomous vehicles."
The pod can run without human contact. It uses data from the cameras and sensors to enable it to roam around. The self-driving car's software was made by Oxford University spin-out Oxbotica, Venture Beat reported.
"Oxford University's technology will go on to power automated vehicles around the world, and the project will now feed into a much wider program of autonomous trials across the U.K. Driverless vehicles are coming to Britain, and what we have demonstrated today is a huge step on that journey," program director Neil Fulton said.
Automakers such as Jaguar Land Rover and Ford are participating on Britain's project for testing self-driving cars on its streets. The automakers are competing with Google's self-driving car.
Google Assistant Can Be An Aid To Self-Driving Cars
Meanwhile, Google is set to improve their self-driving cars with Google Assistant. The artificial intelligence can provide the riders information as they are being cruised around the autonomous car. As of now, Google Assistant is being used in Pixel and in Home, according to IT Pro.
In other news, Google self-driving cars could be a self-cleaning car, too. The company is truly expanding its technology and services for giving its consumers a new experience regarding technological advances.
