By 2020, Nissan plans on having driverless cars in commercial operation, the company's chairman and chief executive announced Thursday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Carlos Ghosn said the autonomous vehicles will soon be tested in Japan, and unlike other companies, Nissan plans on incorporating technology developed by NASA in the cars. Maarten Sierhuis, director of the Nissan Research Center in Silicon Valley, told the Los Angeles Times that the vehicles will have systems that allow human "mobility managers" to intervene in a situation that the car might not be able to handle, like crossing a double yellow line if the lane is blocked. When it encountered obstacles, the Mars Rover robot was able to be directed by people back on Earth, and to develop the automotive version of this system, Nissan is working with NASA's Ames Research Center.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
'We should end this betrayal of man's best friend'Instant Opinion 'Opinion, comment and editorials of the day'
-
Today's political cartoons - March 31, 2025Cartoons Monday's cartoons - improper ideology, robot replacements, and more
-
Local elections 2025: where are they and who is on course to win?The Explainer Reform UK predicted to make large gains, with 23 councils and six mayoralties up for grabs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panelsSpeed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of businessSpeed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pausesSpeed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocksSpeed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor dealSpeed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US SteelSpeed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons mergerSpeed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battleSpeed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
