Nissan, NASA to develop autonomous cars

Nissan Motor Company, through its North American-based organisation, and NASA have announced the formation of a five-year research and development partnership to advance autonomous vehicle systems and prepare for commercial application of the technology. Researchers from Nissan's US Silicon Valley research centre and NASA's Ames research centre will focus on autonomous drive systems, human-machine interface solutions, network-enabled applications, and software analysis and verification, all involving sop
January 12, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
838 Nissan Motor Company, through its North American-based organisation, and NASA have announced the formation of a five-year research and development partnership to advance autonomous vehicle systems and prepare for commercial application of the technology.

Researchers from Nissan's US Silicon Valley research centre and NASA's Ames research centre will focus on autonomous drive systems, human-machine interface solutions, network-enabled applications, and software analysis and verification, all involving sophisticated hardware and software used in road and space applications.

Researchers from the two organisations will test a fleet of zero-emission autonomous vehicles at Ames to demonstrate proof-of-concept remote operation of autonomous vehicles for the transport of materials, goods, payloads and people. For NASA, these tests parallel the way it operates planetary rovers from a mission control centre. The first vehicle of that fleet should be testing at the facility by the end of 2015.

"The work of NASA and Nissan, with one directed to space and the other directed to earth, is connected by similar challenges," said Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO of Nissan. "The partnership will accelerate Nissan's development of safe, secure and reliable autonomous drive technology that we will progressively introduce to consumers beginning in 2016 up to 2020."

Nissan has set 2020 as the timeframe for the introduction of autonomous drive vehicles that have the ability to navigate in nearly all situations, including the most complex situation, city driving.

"All of our potential topics of research collaboration with Nissan are areas in which Ames has strongly contributed to major NASA programs," said director of Ames research centre, S. Pete Worden. "Ames developed Mars rover planning software, robots onboard the international space station and next generation air traffic management systems to name a few. We look forward to applying knowledge developed during this partnership toward future space and aeronautics endeavours."

"This partnership brings together the best and brightest of NASA and Nissan and validates our investments in Silicon Valley," said Ghosn.
Location Based Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Ettifos to show Sirius, its software-defined modem C-V2X platform
    April 24, 2025

    As the push for intelligent transportation systems accelerates, cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) technology is set to revolutionize vehicle communication for connected mobility and smart city deployments.

    However, developing, testing, and optimising V2X applications requires a robust, flexible solution that accommodates real-world field testing and real-time communication.

    Ettifos, V2X solutions provider, will be in Seville exhibiting Sirius, its Software-defined Modem (SDM) C-V2X platform, which provides just that.

    Read More
  • Radar effective as detection tool for hard shoulder running
    July 23, 2012
    Navtech Radar's millimetric-wave systems are being researched on the M42 in England to look into how this type of detector can assist in the opening of the hard shoulder as an additional running lane. Here, the company's Stephen Clark talks about the technology being used. In England, the Highways Agency's (the HA, an executive agency of the Department for Transport) Managed Motorways system - formerly called Active Traffic Management - uses electronic signs and signals mounted on gantries to direct drivers
    Read More
  • State DOTs using drones to improve safety, collect data and cut costs
    March 29, 2016
    A growing number of US state departments of transportation are leveraging innovative drone technology to creatively improve safety, reduce traffic congestion and save money. According to a March 2016 survey by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), 33 state departments of transportation have or are exploring, researching, testing or using unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly referred to as drones, to inspect bridges and assist with clearing vehicle crashes, among othe
    Read More
  • Baidu to test autonomous cars in California
    September 2, 2016
    Baidu, which earlier this year announced the formation of an autonomous driving team in the US, Baidu USA, is to begin testing its autonomous technologies in California. The California Department of Motor Vehicles awarded the company an Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permit earlier this week.
    Read More

Highlighted Content