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CRANBERRY TWP — The future is here, and it was on full display Wednesday morning driving itself down Route 19.
Officials from Carnegie Mellon University were on hand to demonstrate one of the first autonomous-driving cars in America, a vehicle that uses lasers, radio signals and cameras to drive itself in traffic with no input from humans.
The car, which drove itself from Cranberry's public works building to the municipal center off Rochester Road, drove along Route 19, recognizing and stopping at traffic signals while also maintaining a safe distance from cars in front of it.
Stan Caldwell, the deputy executive director of Carnegie Mellon's program, said this kind of technology will be readily available by the year 2020.
He said drivers can expect to pay anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000 extra for cars that have autonomous driving capabilities.
The demonstration was part of a technology conference in Pittsburgh that has attracted 2,000 people from around the world who are at the forefront of this emerging technology.
Officials came to Cranberry for the demonstration because the township has technology installed in its traffic signals that can speak to and guide the car.
The only other municipality in the region that has similar technology is the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh.
Caldwell said the technology is something the general public should care about, if only because it has the capability to drastically cut down on the 32,000 traffic deaths recorded in America every year.“The primary cause of accidents is clearly human error,” he said. “If you can reduce human error, you will save lives.”Gregory Winfree, an assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Transportation, was on hand and said the technology has the chance to “drastically change mobility on the country.”“People who are visually impaired or with other disabilities, or those too young to drive, this technology opens up a world of possibilities for them as well as the general public,” he said. “The possibilities will be endless.”Winfree said the time isn't far off when people can switch their car into autonomous mode and take a nap or eat lunch while on the road.Bruce Mazzoni, chairman of Cranberry's board of supervisors, got a ride in the vehicle and said it was thrilling to see it in action.“It was a unique experience,” he said. “We're looking at the future.”The autonomous driving car is the culmination of more than 30 years of research by people at Carnegie Mellon and other institutions, although officials cautioned there is still much work to be done before it is released to the public.
