South Korea Approves Samsung’s Self-Driving Vehicle Pilot

May 4, 20178 years ago James Ayre 0 Comments

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Samsung has been given the go-ahead by the government of South Korea to begin testing its self-driving vehicle tech on public roads, according to recent reports.

To be more specific, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport has approved Samsung for a test run of the company’s self-driving car, which is based on deep-learning tech.

To date, the South Korean land ministry has issued around 20 self-driving vehicle testing approvals (since early 2016), the first of which went to Hyundai, the top auto manufacturer in Korea.

The Korea Herald provides more: “Samsung Electronics plans to develop top-of-the-line sensors and computer modules backed by artificial intelligence and the deep-learning technologies to improve cars’ self-driving capabilities even in challenging weather conditions. … Samsung’s self-driving automobile is a commercialized Hyundai vehicle equipped with the latest cameras and sensors.

“The ministry said it has been seeking to ease regulations on self-driving cars to bolster industry growth. Accordingly, the ministry reduced the number of mandatory passengers of such cars to one from the previous two. It also paved the way for the production of cars without steering wheels or pedals.”

That makes for a fair degree of difference with regards to self-driving vehicle testing in many other regions, where two “drivers/engineers” are often now present.

In related news, see:

Naver Set To Begin Testing Self-Driving Cars On Public Roads In South Korea

Hyundai Ioniq Electric Autonomous Test Drive Thoughts

Hyundai Shows Off Fully Autonomous Version Of The IONIQ At Los Angeles Auto Show