Robotic Cars Tackle Crosstown Traffic-and Not One Another

摘要

The Land Rover bristles with sensors like a mechanical porcupine. John Leonard, an engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, ticks off the robot's features. On the roof spins a conical laser range finder called a lidar that sees in three dimensions. A dozen lidars that see in one direction, 15 radars, and six digital cameras look out every which way. Computers fill the back of the truck, and a generator supplies the 3.5 kilowatts of power they need. It's impressive. But all this so the truck can turn left across traffic by itself?