Japan suspends trials of first fully autonomous bus after accident

A pilot project in Japan with the country's first fully autonomous bus has been put on hold due to a minor accident involving a parked bicycle.

Here's What We Know

The electric-powered bus began operating in May in the city of Eiheiji. It could travel at a top speed of 12 kilometres per hour and avoided obstacles with the help of sensors and radar.

On Sunday, the bus collided with a bicycle parked on the side of the road. None of the passengers were injured, but the developers are investigating the causes of the incident and have suspended the robot car.

The suspension of testing is a blow to Japan's efforts to introduce autonomous transport, which is particularly urgent in the face of an ageing population and a shortage of taxi drivers. To address these concerns, the country's authorities last year authorised trials of robot cars at a fourth level of autonomy.

Source: TechXplore