UK Says A-Ok to Testing of Self-driving Car

By

When I am sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, my mixed feelings of anger and frustration typically lead me to question, “What am I doing? There must be more to life than this.” In the not-so-distant future, though, you may just be able to take a quick nap or watch television or even a movie via your tablet or smartphone while completely still on a highway that is more like a parking lot, thanks to a self-driving vehicle.

Currently being tested at Oxford University by a team of researchers, the car with a brain all its own uses both lasers and cameras in order to commit a certain route to memory – say, for example, your daily commute to and from work. While there are other similar experiments currently underway, including one being powered by search giant Google that would require certain regulations to be changed in California before it could even start being tested, the Oxford RobotCar UK project has successfully progressed into the testing phase. However, it is only running in an environment that has been created from the ground up for this sole purpose across the pond in a park in the city of Oxfordshire.

"It's not like a racetrack - it's a light industrial site with roads and road markings," Professor Newman, one of the main researchers deeply invested in the project, said in a statement.


Image via BBC

Google vs. Oxford

One of the stark differences between Google’s U.S.-based invention and this project is that instead of requiring GPS, the Oxford vehicles actually can learn where they are based upon their familiarity with their surroundings. Also, its developers are pushing for the self-driving car to be cost-effective making it accessible to the individual with even the tightest budget.

Newman added, “The key word for us is that the car gains 'experiences.' The car is driven by a human, and it builds a 3D model of its environment."

What potential does this technological innovation have?

Back in January, TechZone360 Contributing Writer Ashok Bindra reported on the evolution of the driverless car industry and the fact that it may not be so far off that we witness the rise of Car-as-a-Service. What that basically means is that, rather than purchasing a vehicle outright, a driver can instead select to leverage a driverless vehicle by paying an annual subscription fee which can automatically renewed through a smartphone.

“In fact, a racecar enthusiast on a weekend can upgrade the driverless feature from a ‘commuter style’ to ‘race track style,’ allowing it to be driven at breakneck speeds on a racetrack.”

Pretty interesting if you ask me but it looks like only time will tell if these cars are safe enough to ever be officially released on the market. It is even more exciting to those of us who have been forced to suffer through stop and go traffic and wouldn’t ever possibly miss it if it were to end suddenly.




Edited by Alisen Downey
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]

TechZone360 Web Editor

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Related Articles

Can Science Outsmart Deepfake Deceivers? Klick Labs Proposes an Emerging Solution

By: Alex Passett    3/25/2024

Researchers at Klick Labs were able to identify audio deepfakes from authentic audio recordings via new vocal biomarker technology (alongside AI model…

Read More

Top 5 Best Ways to Integrate Technology for Successful Project-Based Learning

By: Contributing Writer    3/19/2024

Project-based learning, also popularly known as the PBL curriculum, emphasizes using and integrating technology with classroom teaching. This approach…

Read More

How to Protect Your Website From LDAP Injection Attacks

By: Contributing Writer    3/12/2024

Prevent LDAP injection attacks with regular testing, limiting access privileges, sanitizing user input, and applying the proper encoding functions.

Read More

Azure Cost Optimization: 5 Things You Can Do to Save on Azure

By: Contributing Writer    3/7/2024

Azure cost optimization is the process of managing and reducing the overall cost of using Azure. It involves understanding the resources you're using,…

Read More

Massive Meta Apps and Services Outage Impacts Users Worldwide

By: Alex Passett    3/5/2024

Meta's suite of apps and services are experiencing major global outages on Super Tuesday 2024.

Read More