Uber’s self-driving cars resume trials in Pittsburgh in manual mode

Uber’s self-driving cars are being manually driven on public roads in Pittsburgh after a fatal crash which prompted the company to pull out of its testing programme in North America. The company is trialling new safeguards which it says will improve vehicle fleet safety and performance. According to a report by Medium, Eric Meyhofer, head of Uber Advanced Technologies, says: “While we are eager to resume testing of our self-driving system, we see manual driving as an important first step in piloting thes
July 27, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
8336 Uber’s self-driving cars are being manually driven on public roads in Pittsburgh after a %$Linker: 2 Internal <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 4 35413 0 link-external fatal crash false /categories/utc/news/uber-ends-self-driving-programme-in-arizona/ false false%> which prompted the company to pull out of its testing programme in North America. The company is trialling new safeguards which it says will improve vehicle fleet safety and performance.


According to a report by %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external Medium false https://medium.com/@UberATG/self-driving-cars-return-to-pittsburgh-roads-in-manual-mode-f83e506a04b9 false false%>, Eric Meyhofer, head of Uber Advanced Technologies, says: “While we are eager to resume testing of our self-driving system, we see manual driving as an important first step in piloting these safeguards.”

An Uber mission specialist will be behind the wheel to help maintain the vehicle’s safely while another specialist will be in the passenger seat to document notable events. They will carry out tasks involving data collection and keeping the vehicle’s HD map up to date.

Meyhofer says all mission specialists have completed new training modules for safe manual driving which include dedicated time in defensive and distracted driving courses as well as improved test track situational awareness drills.

All self-driving vehicles will feature a driver-monitoring system to help mission specialists remain focused while driving. The system sends an audio alert to the driver if it detects inattentive behaviour.

Additionally, built-in collision avoidance systems will activate emergency braking if there is a sudden change in traffic ahead of the vehicle. It will also send imminent collision warnings to the driver and passenger.

The self-driving cars also come with a front tablet, where turn-by-turn navigation and vehicle information is displayed.

Uber Advanced Technologies consists of an engineering team who are dedicated to self-driving technologies, mapping and vehicle safety.

Location Based Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Econolite to provide technology for TRC’s Ohio SMARTCenter
    October 17, 2018
    Econolite will provide traffic management and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems for the Transportation Research Center’s (TRC) automated and connected vehicle testing facility in Ohio, US. As part of the agreement, Econolite will install the Smart Mobility Advanced Research Test Center’s (SMARTCenter) traffic control system: this will control signalised intersections, vehicle detection, facility monitoring and wireless connectivity. The company will install the V2X systems and a dedicated short-ra
    Read More
  • Asfinag displays Unterwegs service for traffic and weather conditions
    October 22, 2012
    Asfinag, the Austrian motorway operator, is showing its full service portfolio in the areas of traffic information as well as traffic management at the ITS World Congress. The company’s Unterwegs service provides current traffic and weather conditions on Austrian motorways and expressways for users whether at home, at work, or on the move. Before leaving the office for the journey home, mini applications and gadgets provide commuters and users of modern operating systems like Windows7, Mac OSX with Asfinag
    Read More
  • MDTA solicits interested parties for third generation electronic toll-collection systems
    March 31, 2016
    The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) has announced that it is seeking comments on two Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to develop and operate the third generation of its electronic toll-collection systems. It has now issued a Request for Comments via eMaryland Marketplace to solicit feedback on the procurement of its toll system and its Customer Service Centre system. The new toll system will include replacement of the existing toll-lane terminals and all associated hardware and software, while the
    Read More
  • Assocations news around the globe
    October 29, 2015
    There will be no roadside parking in the Finnish capital, Helsinki, 15 years from now, predicts ITS Finland’s CEO Sampo Hietanen. “Instead, a self-driving car will pick you up within in ten minutes of your pressing a button on your smartphone. The car will continue its journey once you have reached your destination.”
    Read More

Highlighted Content