With companies like Google developing their self-driving car concept, it has become a fight for pride to win the race and launch the first commercial version. A France-based robotics company Induct has clinched the title by presenting to the world its first ever self-driving car.
Launched at CES this month the Navia shuttle can carry a maximum of eight passengers at a time.
If approved, it will be used in public places such as airports, college campuses, theme parks and sports arenas in a bid to eliminate pollution and congestion. Though Navia costs £151,750 per vehicle it is 60% cheaper than a shuttle of the same kind operated by a driver.
The company says, “Navia is different than other driverless vehicles out there because it is intelligent, self-sufficient and environmentally friendly. Users can summon Navia from their smartphones like an Uber for driverless cars or call it up from their desktop.”
The only thing the passenger has to do is to hit the touchscreen to enter details of the destination.
It has a top speed of 12.5 mph and uses onboard lasers and sensors to detect obstacles in its path. So it doesn’t rely completely on GPS alone to get to the destination. The vehicle allows depth mapping and 3D perception using different camera viewpoints to make sure that steering is clear of pedestrians and other roadside objects.
Two sites are currently using the beta version; a technical college in Switzerland and a high-security industry park run by the UK Atomic Energy Authority.
Navia shuttle World"s First Commercial Self-Driving vehicle
