Japan has announced that it is to start testing an autonomous taxi service on its public roads in 2016, as the country looks to show off its technology in time for the Olympic Games being held in Tokyo in 2020.
According to the Nikkei the self-driving taxi service programme will look to have a fleet of driverless taxis up and running in time for the Olympics, and the project is intended to get companies interested in looking at how to commercialise the technology.
The scheme, which was unveiled by the Japanese government and Robot Taxi, a joint venture between the mobile Internet company DeNA and the vehicle technology developer ZMP, will initially serve about 50 residents in the Kanagawa prefecture, shuttling them between their homes and local grocery stores.
The cabs, which will be retrofitted versions of Toyota's Estima hybrid minivan, will drive around two miles and the route will include major city roads. To ensure safety two co-pilots will be present during test drives, in case of an emergency.
While the number of vehicles deployed has yet to be disclosed if the program is a success, Robot Taxi said that it was looking to a fully commercial service running within five years.
Author
Neil Tyler
Source: www.newelectronics.co.uk