German car testers 'can ... say, look and drive themselves'

Cars can say, look and drive - It's a car of the future controlled entirely by computer, being tested on the streets of Berlin (Germany).

During the summer, researchers at Berlin's Free University in Berlin tested the car around Berlin. Cars on the street using a series of complex equipment, including: computer, electronic equipment, satellite positioning system correctly mounted on the body, front camera, ray scanner Lasers on the roof, around the front and rear.

Run the car without touching the steering wheel

"Cars can recognize roads, sidewalks, houses and trees at a height of 70 meters ," said Raul Rojas, head of artificial intelligence at Free University . It can react properly with the red light on the front. This car can sense and react to its environment faster than humans. '

The car being studied is the $ 551,800 Volkswagen Passat, which is based on special technology for four years.

Other research groups are also experimenting with this new technology. Most notably is Google ran test Toyota Prius auto in Nevada (United States).

Prof. Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, an economics major at the University of Duisburg-Essen, said: " Automated computer control is a growing trend among car manufacturers and research centers in a number of countries. . At this point, it's hard to tell who gets the best car. With the advancement of technology, only in about 10 years will there be fully automated cars that will be sold on the market. There are now semi-automatic cars that need parking or emergency brakes. '

But he also wonders who is responsible for the accident: the owner? passers? or manufacturer?