January 8, 2013

Driverless Electric Vehicles

There's been no shortage of media coverage of Google's driverless car  , but meanwhile a French firm has developed something similar. Rather than a personal vehicle, however, Induct's Navia   is a driverless electric shuttle designed for use in pedestrian-heavy areas such as airport parking lots, shopping malls, business parks and universities.
Capable of carrying up to eight passengers at a maximum speed of 12.5 mph, Navia features laser range finders, cameras and GPS technology as well as accelerometers and gyroscopes that allow it to instantly calculate its position, route and distance traveled. Combined with a software package developed by Induct, that combination of technologies enable the vehicle to move autonomously and safely in any environment, Induct says. Navia's propulsion system uses Lithium-Polymer batteries, with instant induction recharging at each stop. 

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