Japan Tests 'Auto-Pilot' Cars on Public Road

09/26/96

Nikkei English News reports that the Public Works Research Institute of Japan's Ministry of Construction has begun public road tests of an intelligent highway system that controls a car's operation without a driver's intervention. The Institute is conducting the experiments on an 11km stretch of the Joshinetsu Expressway that is expected to open in November. In the first test, 11 cars ran the course, reaching speeds of 80kph.

The auto pilot cars are equipped with cameras and sensors, and are roadway modified to carry markers and cables with which the cars can exchange information. The institute developed the system in cooperation with 25 automakers and electric machinery makers.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel