Uber Debuts Self-Driving Cars In Pittsburgh

Uber has unveiled its self-driving vehicles on the roads of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in a landmark trial in the growth of the vehicle automation technology. This is also the first time such technology has been used in the U.S. public.

Prior to the public trial, Uber gave free rides to reporters on Tuesday. The Uber driver and the engineer were sitting in the front two seats. Reuters noted the movement of the self-driving car and how it responded to traffic lights and road situations such as traveling on a busy street.

Reuters reported that Uber's self-driving cars involved in the Pittsburgh trial were 14 Ford Fusion units equipped with sensors, 3D cameras, GPS and a roof-mounted "lidar" technology that use lasers to scan road environment. Uber has also partnered with Volvo to use 100 of its SUVs, in a $300 million project to be jointly developed by the two companies.

Pittsburg's terrain consists of either narrow or steep streets, tunnels and over 400 bridges. Its road conditions can be dangerous as the seasons change. But Uber said the conditions were optimal for the trial. "We really feel that Pittsburgh is the double black diamond of driving," said Raffi Krikorian, director of Uber's Advanced Technologies Center.

Uber is just one of the companies that develops vehicle automation technology. Volvo recently announced it completed production on the first out of 100 self-driving vehicles under its "Drive Me" project. The crossover Volvo XC90 vehicles will be handed over to regular folks in Gothenburg in the coming months until 2017 for the first round of public trial.

American automaker Tesla Motors is also developing its AutoPilot technology, though it has drawn criticism after a fatal accident in May involving a vehicle running the technology. Meanwhile, both tech giants Apple and Google were reported to be focusing on developing software and technology instead of producing their own automobiles.