Robo-Car Brakes for Balloons as Real World Tests Driverless Hype
- Magna-equipped car jerking through streets shows system limits
- Partsmaker sees technology ready commercially in three years
Race To Build Self-Driving Cars Accelerates
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On a test route in Berlin traffic, an experimental Jeep Grand Cherokee slams on its brakes every few hundred yards, like a nervous teenager with a learner’s permit. In a sense, that’s exactly what the robo-car is.
Even after months of navigating the same 11-kilometer (7-mile) set of roads, the sport utility vehicle that’s kitted out with an array of radars and sensors gets spooked frequently. Whether it’s grass, street litter or a political billboard, there are endless surprises that overwhelm the auto and show just how complex self-driving is in real life.