You could be sitting inside a self-driving auto before the summer is out, thanks to Uber.
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The fleet consists of specially modified Volvo XC90 sport-utility vehicles outfitted with dozens of sensors that use cameras, lasers, radar, and Global Positioning System receivers.
Driverless taxis operated by Uber are expected to appear in Pittsburgh within weeks, according to a report by Bloomberg.
According to a statement announcing the partnership, Volvo Cars would manufacture the base vehicles that would be purchased from Volvo by Uber. But relax: Uber’s Pittsburgh fleet will be supervised by humans in the driver’s seat for the time being.
A report from Bloomberg says Uber will roll out a fleet of Volvo vehicles this month in Pittsburgh, allowing riders to request self-driving cars.
Uber-branded test cars have been on Pittsburgh roads for several months. Uber is now testing its autonomous technology in the United States.
General Motors Co. invested $500 million in Uber rival Lyft Inc. earlier this year. The company aims to eventually replace its human drivers with a self-driving fleet that passengers can summon on demand through the smartphone app, just like always, but different.
“When it comes to this advanced technology stack, Otto plus Uber is a dream team”, explained Kalanick. While it’s not said explicitly that it wants to replace them with robots, that appears to be its plan – and it has been working towards make it happen over the previous year or two. In the spring of 2015 Uber hired scores of Carnegie Mellon University robotics researchers to help develop self-driving vehicles. Indeed, Uber recently announced plans to buy Otto, a startup that’s developing a similar kit for trucks.
Otto is already road testing a “suite” of sensors, software, and truck enhancements that could be quickly fitted on existing trucks. “Together”, Kalanick wrote, “we now have one of the strongest autonomous engineering groups in the world”.
Right now, however, self-driving cars are still under intense scrutiny.
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There are a number of Silicon Valley heavyweights, in addition to Uber, that are putting serious resources into self-driving technology, including Tesla, Google and Apple.
