Singapore is Testing World’s First Robo-Taxis

nuTonomy’s self-driving taxis launched first trial today in Singapore’s one-north, ahead of tech giants Uber and Google.

Developer of state-of-the art software for self-driving cars, nuTonomy (founded by 2 MIT researchers), has launched its first-ever public trial of their robo-taxi service as of today. However, it will only run around the one-north business district – home to plenty of tech giants like Baidu – where it has been conducting daily autonomous vehicle (AV) testing since April.

The self-driving cars – currently in specially-configured Renault Zoe or Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric vehicle – uses the company’s software and sensing components. But for those of you who recall the last disastrous Tesla test drive, nuTonomy will have engineers in each car to observe system performance, and assume control of the car if needed.

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This test run will likely run for a couple of years. In the meantime, the company is actively recruiting staff, as well as interns pursuing Management, Business, or related degree who are keen to pursue a career in this fast-paced industry.

Currently, rides are only open to select Singapore residents who’ve been invited to use nuTonomy’s ride-hailing smartphone app to book a no-cost ride.

The rest of us will have to wait till 2018 when the company plans to officially launch it to the public. What will Uber, Grab, and SMRT cabs do?