Unmanned autos tackle complicated road conditions

Unmanned vehicles take to the road during the 2017 WIDC. [Photo/Xinhua]

Different from other races of the 2017 World Intelligent Driving Competition (WIDC) in Tianjin, the unmanned driving event that kicked off on June 28 was less fierce, but still attracted plenty of attention.

The race course was designed with the same traffic conditions as rush hour in a city. All road conditions -- such as pedestrians, other vehicles, road construction, traffic lights, and roundabouts -- were involved in the competition.

The unmanned vehicles feature censors and control systems, which can monitor areas within 200 meters around the car and respond to different traffic conditions.

However, to guarantee traffic safety, the speed of the unmanned vehicles was limited to under 20 kilometers per hour, according to a staff member of the competition.

Academy of Military Transportation team is in the race.[Photo/Xinhua]

As the development of unmanned driving technologies has rapidly developed, so have concerns about these new systems.

Unmanned vehicles from Beijing Union University is passing the simulative tunnel.[Photo/Xinhua]

Bao Hong, vice-chancellor of Beijing Union University, said "Unmanned technology has entered people's lives -- for instance an unmanned patrol car is used in zoos. The key point is how to promote it to more aspects."

However, before these vehicles can be widely used, a professional standard should be made.

"An ordinary driver needs to pass a driving test, and so should unmanned vehicles," Bao suggested. "The safety standards for vehicles on the road and the standard for licensing robotic driving systems are all problems we need to solve."

Unmanned vehicles from Beijing Union University is passing the simulative barrier.[Photo/Xinhua]

The 2017 WIDC opened on June 28 in Dongli district, Tianjin, which intends to offer an exchange platform for professionals and enthusiasts involved with intelligent automobiles.

In total, 63 teams from various enterprises, universities, and institutes attended the competition, 19 of which participated in the unmanned driving events.