With its six eyes (cameras) and six ears (radar sensors), the new Mercedes S class can see and hear enough to drive itself at speeds up to 60kph (37mph). Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche says the S class “marks the start of the era of partially autonomous driving.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a new policy concerning vehicle automation, including its plans for research on related safety issues and recommendations for states related to the testing, licensing and regulation of “autonomous” or “self-driving” vehicles.
Self-driving vehicles are those in which operation of the vehicle occurs without direct driver input to control the steering, acceleration, and braking and are designed so that the driver is not expected to constantly monitor the roadway while operating in self-driving mode.
Google Inc. sees self-driving cars being available to consumers in three to five years. Regulators and the insurance industry aren’t so sure it can happen that quickly.
