Long a dream for some future metropolis, driver-less cars are getting closer to a street near you. At London's Heathrow International Airport, twenty two automated car pods have replaced two buses and are ferrying passengers from the parking lot to the terminal.
The vehicles, manufactured by ULTra PRT can travel up to 25 mph and don't need rails or magnets-- just two lines in the road for laser guidance. Up to four people and their bags can fit in one car at the same time.
According to the New York Times, about 800 people have been using the pods every day since their official rollout this summer, and there have been no accidents. The future vehicles could be coming stateside soon, as airports in New York and California and transportation authorities in Oregon and Washington DC are currently testing them for approval.
[NYT]
