BERLIN: A driverless lorry developed by Daimler has been tested on a public road for the first time, in Germany.
At the push of a button, the vehicle’s “highway pilot” helped it avoid other road users via a radar and camera sensing system.
The company reiterated the requirement that a human driver be present and focused on the road at all times.
“As soon as we are on the highway, we will start the autonomous driving mode,” said Daimler executive Wolfgang Bernhard as he steered the Mercedes-Benz Actros truck towards a busy stretch of motorway in Baden-Wurttemberg last week.
Then, at the push of a blue button on the vehicle’s dashboard, the autonomous driving system took over. It successfully piloted the vehicle along the motorway, reaching speeds up to 80km per hour.
