The Japanese car manufacturer Nissan and cutting edge
technology specialists NASA are working together to advance the technology
behind cars that drive autonomously. NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field,
California and Yokohama-based Nissan Motor Co. announced on
Thursday of this week, a research-and-development partnership for autonomous
vehicle systems that will span five-years. The idea is that the technologies
will eventually be implemented into commercially sold vehicles.
Nissan said in a joint statement that NASA researchers
will be working with Nissan’s research unit in Silicon Valley. Nissan is the
maker of the Leaf electric car and Infiniti luxury model vehicle and they are
aiming to introduce autonomous driving technology to the consumer market
between 2016 and 2020. It was NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field that
developed, amongst other things, the Mars rover software and robots onboard the
International Space Station.
Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said, ”The
partnership brings together the best and brightest of NASA and Nissan and validates our investments in Silicon
Valley.” It is pretty obvious that Nissan is very excited about the future
potential of autonomous cars, as executives say it could lead to improved
safety, along with low emission technology.
Autonomous vehicles are better drivers than we are. A
computer will not be distracted by a cell phone or become tired from driving
for long periods of time. So the safety aspect of autonomous vehicles is one of
the driving forces behind the project. The cars will know, through sensors,
that they are about to have a collision and will brake automatically, even if
the driver doesn’t do a thing. The cars will also be able to park themselves.
Car makers other than Nissan are also working on the
technology, including rival car maker Toyota Motor Corp. and U.S. manufacturers
General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co.In fact, driverless cars was the topic of
a keynote address by Ford Chief Executive Mark Fields at the International CES
show in Las Vegas earlier this week.
Who knows? In the future, the technology could even
replace human drivers altogether, although there are many obstacles still to
overcome, before the cars mass produced into mainstream society.
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