BEIJING: Chinese tech giant Baidu has successfully tested its driverless car on roads near the company’s headquarters in Beijing.
The 30km (18.6 miles) test route required a modified BMW 3 Series to navigate “complex road conditions”, including human drivers, the firm said.
The car executed a range of manoeuvres, including U-turns, lane changes and merging into traffic from ramps. Baidu has amassed a library of 3D road maps to guide its autonomous vehicles.
“Fully autonomous driving under mixed road conditions is universally challenging, with complexity further heightened by Beijing’s road conditions and unpredictable driver behaviour,” said Wang Jing, senior vice-president of Baidu and general manager of the company’s Autonomous Driving Business Unit.
Baidu’s highly automated driving (HAD) maps capture road data in 3D to within a few centimetres of accuracy, according to the company. The car is able to detect vehicles, road lanes and objects in its path.
