Uber confirms it's testing self-driving cars in Pittsburgh

Jos

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Uber has made no secret of its end goal to eventually replace human drivers with self-driving software. And while that is still several years away today the company to one more step in that direction, confirming it is testing its own self-driving car on the streets of Pittsburgh.

The project is being run by Uber’s Advanced Technologies Center and consists of a modified hybrid Ford Fusion. The car will be collecting mapping data as well as testing its self-driving capabilities, with a trained driver in the driver’s seat monitoring operations at all times.

"While Uber is still in the early days of our self-driving efforts, every day of testing leads to improvements," the company says. "Right now we’re focused on getting the technology right and ensuring it’s safe for everyone on the road — pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers."

The company notes that they were looking for instances to make it difficult for the computer to drive, and in that sense Pittsburgh's diverse environment with narrow and hilly streets, haphazard parking, rainy and snowy weather made it ideal to test self-driving technology.

Self-driving cars are generally expected to bring a number of benefits when the technology is ready for public use. From less congestion, more affordable and accessible transportation, and far fewer lives lost in car accidents. But Uber in particular stands to profit from the technology given its current market leading position in the for-hire vehicle market, and when there's no one behind the wheel, the cost of running the business and the price of Uber rides are bound to go down.

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Based on the picture and what they say, I would say this is just a PR stunt and they have nothing like any kind of self-driving technology. Look at how long Google has been doing research and developing their systems, and they're still nowhere ready for prime time. Uber on the other side has obviously done no research whatsoever.

Honestly, it wouldn't make sense for them to do it either - unless they would want to manufacture their own cars. But even that would open another can of forms. And honestly, Uber is all about tax avoidance and getting rid of employee benefits, not about manufacturing and development of technology.
 
Are fleets of self driving cars going to bring back the era of full service gas stations? If one day the cars have no driver... who pumps the gas?
 
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