Samsung gets permission to trial driverless technology

South Korea has granted Samsung permission to trial driverless cars on its public roads, the Korea Herald reports.

A test mule, reportedly a Hyundai fitted with laser scanners and radar, will be used to test the artificial intelligence systems and "deep learning" technologies.

However, Samsung told the paper that the trials "does not mean that Samsung is making a self-driving car".

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It added: "The pilot run is being carried out for software and solution development for an autonomous car, nothing more."

Samsung's competitor in the technology market, Apple, has also been developing its own software for autonomous vehicle manufacturers, says AutoExpress.

Both companies may have similar objectives, adds the magazine, indicating that Samsung will "only develop and test software" and source autonomous hardware from "third parties".

Dr Siraj Ahmed Shaikh of Coventry University told the BBC: "The automotive industry is set up in a similar way to the computer industry, where you can buy a motherboard from one place and other components from somewhere else and bang them together."

Samsung's decision to enter the autonomous market should not come as surprise - the company is known for pursuing a variety of systems that blend connected technology "into everyday appliances", the Guardian says.

In March, the company completed an $8bn (£6.2bn) takeover of the motoring and audio supplier Harman International, which could "help Samsung seize on the transformative opportunities autonomous vehicle technology could bring", adds the paper.