Uber Announces Self-Driving Car Project In Pittsburgh

On Monday, Uber announced a new project involving self-driving vehicles. They are partnering with Carnegie Mellon University to build the Uber Advanced Technologies Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There, they’ll research and design these vehicles while also working on technology to enhance vehicle safety.

Faculty, staff, and students on campus and at the nearby National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) will be involved in the partnership. Together, they will focus on development “in the areas of mapping and vehicle safety and autonomy technology.

Google and motor companies such as Toyota and General Motors have decided to make an investment in self-driving cars. Last year, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said that self-driving vehicles would reach their ride-sharing company, whether they liked it or not. According to him, their service can be expensive because of the vehicle and driver cost. “When there’s no other dude in the car, the cost of taking an Uber anywhere becomes cheaper than owning a vehicle.” To Kalanick, it’s inevitable.

There’s still a lot of technology improvements needed to make it possible for cars to drive themselves. Radar systems, cost, government regulations, and technology allowing the vehicle to “see” will need to be mastered first. Will these companies rush to Intel for its RealSense technology, which helped a drone fly through a difficult obstacle course with nobody controlling it? Perhaps Intel will start their own autonomous project.

Uber’s research on self-driving cars will likely focus on the technology hurdles Google and others are trying to work out. Google believes they can have their cars on the market by 2020, which means Uber will have to speed things up.

The taxi company will hold a formal event celebrating their latest project within the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, while they dig into the self-driving industry, Google is making their way into the ride-sharing business, according to Bloomberg.

Even though Uber is working on the project, it would be several decades before their vehicles don’t require any drivers. Kalanick said it’s a “multi-decade transition.”

Would you trust a self-driving taxi?

[PhotoCredit: Bloomberg]

Uber Announces Self-Driving Car Project In Pittsburgh