Some examples of driverless vehicles on their way

Driverless vehicles are inching ever closer to true roadworthiness. The Straits Times reported recently that two driverless golf buggies, fitted with $30,000 worth of technology, will ply the footpaths of the Chinese and Japanese gardens in the third quarter of this year.

Here are a few examples of other driverless vehicles which have been launched here.

The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) was the first to launch a trial for driverless vehicles in Singapore.

In August last year, in partnership with JTC Corporation and Induct Technologies, the institute started road-testing a driverless shuttle, named NAVIA, that can carry eight passengers and go up to 20.1km/h.

The shuttle runs on electric batteries and will follow a pre-programed route between NTU and JTC's CleanTech Park. Still in its R&D phase, the shuttle has yet to run as a regular service.  

The National University of Singapore, in collaboration with the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, launched its own Singapore-made car in January this year.

Named the Shared Computer Operated Transport (Scot), the vehicle is actually a Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car which the researchers retrofitted at a cost of $30,000. It seats four and can reach a top speed of 130km/h. It is equipped with laser sensors which have a 30-metre range to help it avoid obstacles. It also has remote sensing technology that allows the vehicle to navigate without using the Global Positioning System.