Vans Drive Themselves Across the World 157
bossanovalithium writes "Four driverless electric vans successfully ended a 13,000-kilometer test drive from Italy to China which mirrored the journey carried out by Marco Polo in the Middle Ages. The four vans, packed with navigation gear and other computer software, drove themselves across eastern Europe, Russia, Kazakhstan and the Gobi Desert without getting lost. They had been equipped with four solar-powered laser scanners and seven video cameras that work together to detect and avoid obstacles."
More Importantly (Score:5, Funny)
Re:More Importantly (Score:5, Funny)
Re:More Importantly (Score:5, Funny)
At one point, a van stopped to pick up hitchhikers.
I thought you were joking, so I checked TFA. This actually happened. Which is crazy. Horror movies start with stuff like this.
Robot vans picking up hitchhikers? In what twisted universe does a hitchhiker: 1) flag down a van 2) discover that it is driven by nobody and 3a) trust the van's occupants that they are "researchers" 3b) trust that "it's totally cool, nobody's going to steal your organs".
Re:Autonomous vehicles (Score:3, Funny)
And keep the porn. There should be a mechanism whereby I can get off whenever I desire.
Re:really... (Score:3, Funny)
Does this mean there was always a woman on standby to ask for directions?
I wish they followed someone else's path.. (Score:2, Funny)
Every time I see the name Marco Polo I'm instantly 12 again, screaming MARCO!!!! while at the city pool. All my "friends" left me and went to the snack bar.