Life as a University of California at Berkeley bus driver just got much easier; researchers have tested a self-steering bus that actually works.
Developed by California Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways, the self-steering bus is guided along by magnetic strips that are embedded in the road. Bus drivers can take control of the bus at any time, however, and are still responsible for acceleration and braking.
In testing, the self-steering bus traveled down a straight line before pulling over at a bus stop one centimeter from the curb. Take that, crazy bus drivers!
What's Driving This Trend
- Self-steering Buses
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop fully autonomous buses that do not require human drivers.
- Magnetic Transit
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Implement magnetic strip technology to improve navigation and efficiency in transportation systems.
Who This Affects Most
- Public Transportation
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Use self-steering buses to revolutionize public transportation and make it more efficient and user-friendly.
- Smart Transportation
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Combine self-steering buses with other smart transportation technologies to create an interconnected and automated transportation network.
- Advanced Transit Technologies
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop and deploy self-steering buses as part of an overall strategy to advance transit technologies and create sustainable transportation solutions.
