Uber partners with CMU to open self-driving taxi lab in Pittsburgh, US
Uber has partnered with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in the US to open a robotics lab for the development of driverless cars.
Called the Uber Advanced Technologies Center, the purpose of the research centre is to develop long-term technologies that allow Uber to bring “safe, reliable transportation to everyone, everywhere,” according to the driver-on-demand service.
The strategic partnership will involve Uber's technology specialists working alongside CMU staff to develop autonomous techology, which means that one day customers might be hailing down self-driving cars using the taxi-app.
Andrew Moore, head of computer science at CMU, said:
Uber is a rapidly growing company known for its innovative technology that is radically improving access to transportation for millions of global citizens. CMU is renowned for innovations that transform lives.We look forward to partnering with Uber as they build out the Advanced Technologies Center and to working together on real-world applications, which offer very interesting new challenges at the intersections of technology, mobility, and human interactions.
Uber's chief executive Travis Kalanick has previously expressed his intention to replace human drivers with self-driving cars, and the decision to locate the centre in Pittsburgh means work will be out of view of Silicon Valley competitors.