Apple has revealed it
is investing heavily in autonomous vehicles in a letter asking the US
government to make it easier to develop selfdriving cars. The company is
“excited about the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation“,
Apple said in a November 22 letter to the US National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA).
“Apple looks
forward to col laborating with NHTSA and other stakeholders so that the
significant societal benefits of automated vehicles can be realised responsibly
, and expeditiously ,“ the company's director of product integrity Steve Kenner
wrote. Apple issued the letter because it is “investing heavily in machine
learning and autonomous systems“, an Apple spokesman said.
Rumours about Apple's
ambitions in the sector have circu lated for years. The company has a separate
organisation called `Project Titan' that is developing automotive projects.
However, in early
September, The New York Times reported that the group had narrowed its ambitions.
Instead of designing and producing a complete self-driving car, the group will
now concentrate on developing underlying technologies for autonomous vehicles.
In its letter,
Apple urges the NHTSA not to penalise new participants in the sector by restricting
the testing of cars under development on public roads, for which established
automakers generally have exemptions.
Most major auto
manufacturers and many tech groups are currently developing autonomous
vehicles, considered to be the future of the automobile, along with electric
power, with first production models promised for around 2020.
Source: The Times Of India 5th December-2016
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/index.aspx?EID=31804&dt=20161205#
