Autonomous electric shuttle maker Ohmio moving HQ to Riverside (OC Register)
The city plans to spend $2.5 million to test three of the vehicles for use on local streets
The Alliance for Innovation says the use of autonomous vehicles will result in fewer crashes or fender benders, as they’re programmed to maintain a safe and consistent distance between vehicles, which can also help reduce the number of stop-and-go waves that produce road congestion for no apparent reason.
But the technology has also raised concerns.
Researchers at UC Irvine’s Department of Computer Science set up a course on the UCLA campus to test the reactions of driverless cars to ordinary objects being placed on the side of the road.
Their study found that boxes, bicycles, trash cans and traffic cones can cause a driverless vehicle to halt abruptly, potentially creating a hazard and impacting the delivery of passengers and goods.
Read the full story in the The Orange County Register.