Oct 24, 2016

Tech News: First Australian Driverless Car Makes Debut

Australia's very first driverless car has made its official debut, and the manufacturers say their new vehicle is an entire decade ahead of its time. 

The Tech Portal reported the vehicle was designed by German automotive parts manufacturer Bosch at its branch in Australia. The company collaborated with the Government of Victoria to design the driverless car. 

Bosch also worked with the Transport Accident Commission, and VicRoads (which donated $1.2 to the project). 

Under construction in Clayton, Victoria, the vehicle has been designed to operate with or without driver input, and can detect road hazards. Those hazards include other cars, bikers, and pedestrians. 

“By removing human error from the equation, self-driving vehicles will play a critical role in reducing deaths and serious injuries on Victorian roads,” said Victorian Roads Minister Luke Donnellan.

Donnellan called the project a step toward reducing deaths on the state's roads. He made those comments after observing the vehicle for the first time.

The driverless car is one of five built around the world by Bosch. A team of 45 people designed the vehicle, and it took nine months to complete.

The vehicle contains features like advanced driver detection, six radars, internal driver monitoring cameras, six light detection sensors, radar detection, and more.

Tech Republic reported Australia's driverless car comes after other companies around the world unveiled similar projects. Singapore launched driverless taxis in August and Uber revealed a self-driving fleet in Pittsburgh in September.

In Australia, the driverless vehicles will hit public roads very soon. 

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