NASA Backs up Nissan to Develop Driverless Cars

Nissan has joined hands with NASA in the race of developing autonomous vehicles where both sides will mutually benefit from the research. Nissan claims that its self-driving cars will hit the roads by 2020.

NASA emerges as a new player in the bet of advancing driverless technologies, and assuming its cross-planetary fame, automakers other than its new partner should be alerted. In their five year long joint venture, engineers from both entities will undertake the project at Nissan’s research unit at Silicon Valley. The aim is to develop a self driving car which can navigate the urban streets, park itself and follow remote instructions through satellite communication to guide itself anywhere without a driver. All this means, the car has to watch out for bicycles, pedestrians, road obstructions and understand the complex logics of lanes changing, traffic flow and parking systems. Both entities will also focus on human-machine interface and software integration in future.

As the forward implementation of project partnership, the Nissan Leaf will be upgraded with AI technologies at NASA’s Ames Research Centre in Sunnyvale, California. The space agency plans to use knowledge of research to improve its rover explorers.

We are living in the world where men are masters and vehicles are slaves, but driverless cars will transform this relation into partnership. Though numerous automobile companies are head over heels in pursuit of Intelligent car technology, odds have shifted for Nissan. Afterall minds of two are better than one!