Embracing a 'self-driving' future

Imagine sitting comfortably in the backseat of a car while reading a book or enjoying a chat with your friends, and suddenly you realize you have arrived at your destination. Now, such a scenario may be more than just science fiction.

During the past month or so, several major cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing, have taken a huge step in embracing an exciting future: self-driving vehicles have been tested on roads.

Guiyang, the capital city of Southwest China's Guizhou province, has also recently established a foothold in the self-driving business. On March 9, a launching ceremony for a global online cooperation platform for self-driving engineering was held in the city's high-tech zone.

The event, which was titled "Move it", attracted 30 engineers from 12 countries, who shared their thoughts and views on self-driving engineering.

In the next four days, these multinational engineers also worked together in the high-tech zone to improve linear-control technology, make adjustments to self-driving algorithms, produce highly accurate 3D mapping of nearby roads, and successfully introduce two self-driving cars.

According to authorities, Guizhou will initiate a self-driving project for public transportation to increase its competitiveness in the self-driving industry. The self-driving vehicles will be tested in Guian new area, a national demonstration area for the province's burgeoning inland economy.

A self-driving car parked in front of a self-driving engineering factory in the high-tech zone of Guiyang, Guizhou province. [Photo/todayguizhou.com]