The first fully robotic cars hit the roads at the Innopolis innovation center, located near Kazan. New vehicle tests mark the start of the final phase of development of self-driving cars. No European IT company has conducted such tests. At the same time, an autonomous taxi is already operating in Innopolis, which local residents can use.
Yandex divided the testing of unmanned vehicles into three stages. First, experts tested cars with a person in the driver’s seat, who could intervene at any moment in the situation on the road, then the tester moved the passenger seat. At the same time, a person could still always use emergency braking.
At the final stage, there is no tester inside the robotic car. At the same time, while driving, another vehicle moves next to the autonomous car, driven by a person who can remotely stop the drone.
Yandex became the first company to reach the third stage of testing in Europe. Moreover, in Innopolis alone, the company’s autonomous vehicles have driven more than a million kilometers. In addition, a robotic taxi operates on the territory of the innovation center.
At the beginning of August, the first Yandex drones appeared on Moscow roads without drivers behind the wheel. At the same time, the tester was still in the passenger seat of the car.
No driver needed: self-driving cars
