
While many people in the rest of the world are wondering when autonomous cars will be technically proficient enough to be given clearance for operation by the authorities, a Japanese company has already started taking orders on its robotic cars.
ZMP is accepting orders for the automatic operation technology development platform RoboCar MiniVan for public roads package for research and development. The company says the vehicle is equipped with various sensors computers for the public roads.
This product, the automatic operation technology development platform RoboCar MiniVan, is based on commercially available hybrid minivan, integrated laser scanner for sensing the ambient stereo camera, GPS and inertial sensor for measuring the position and behavior of the vehicle, the acquired sensor data.
The experimental vehicle is equipped with vehicle computer called IZAC for automatic operation.
RoboCar series was intended for use in a test course, in response to the rise of the experimental traveling needs of the public roads, use and high-precision map that is required on the vehicle position estimation on public roads in this package, number acquisition of, also it will be support for risk assessment at the time of public roads.
Based vehicle of RoboCar MiniVan will be Toyota Estima hybrid, the vehicle has been used in automatic operation service demonstration and experiment on public roads by a robot taxi Corporation.
ZMP says that through service, research and development while using the automatic operation vehicle on public roads, and the research and development of a user interface in the automatic driving a vehicle, its can “take advantage as an experimental vehicle in the research and development of ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) for sensing system”.