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Technology Driverless Cars

Driverless car tested among the UK public for the first time

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By Tony Connelly, Sports Marketing Reporter

October 11, 2016 | 3 min read

A driverless car has been tested amongst the public for the first time in the UK after an electric vehicle took to the streets of Milton Keynes.

Driverless cars take to the UK's streets for the first time

Driverless cars take to the UK's streets for the first time

The two-seater car travelled on the pavements as it undertook a 1km loop around the town's railway station in what has been hailed as "a landmark step" towards bringing self-driving vehicles to UK roads.

The software running the car was developed by Oxford University's Oxford Robotics Institute and integrated by Oxford University spinout company Oxbotica.

Programme director Neil Fulton said: "This public demonstration represents a major milestone for autonomous vehicles in the UK and the culmination of an extensive project involving UK companies and experts.

"Oxford University's technology will go on to power automated vehicles around the world, and the project will now feed into a much wider programme of autonomous trials across the UK."

Greg Clark, the business and energy secretary, described the trial as "a ground-breaking moment" and said it provided further evidence that Britain was at the forefront of innovation.

"The global market for autonomous vehicles present huge opportunities for our automotive and technology firms and the research that underpins the technology and software will have applications way beyond autonomous vehicles," said Clark.

The software powering driverless cars has been the most talked about aspect of the emerging market with Apple shifting its focus on building the cars to developing the software which will be used within them.

As the driverless car market edges ever closer to its inception the marketing industry is gearing up to take advantage of the new opportunities of for OOH advertising as passengers concentration on the road is freed up.

Technology Driverless Cars

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