The highest-speed test to date of a self-driving car developed by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI, 工研院) was successfully conducted at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Wednesday, ITRI said Thursday.
The self-driving shuttle, which drove at 50 kilometers per hour, is part of a four-year project to develop autonomous shuttles for the country’s international airports, ITRI said, adding that it is to invest “at least NT$5 billion” into the project.
Photo: CNA
This week’s test drive reached a speed record that was the fastest achieved to date by a self-driving car in Taiwan, and second worldwide only to shuttles operating at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, Department of Industrial Technology Director-General Chiou Chyou-huey (邱求慧) said.
The shuttle is being run on a 4.2km circuit, and is assisted by 5G-connected safety systems, he said.
“In the future, higher-speed self-driving will be implemented on open roads such as expressways or highways. ” he said.
“There have already been 15 test cases on open roads in Taiwan.”
Future challenges to implementing widespread autonomous driving included the implementation of relevant regulations, and devising technical solutions to more complicated road conditions, he said, adding that 5G-connected smart technology at intersections would improve the safety of self-driving vehicles.
The military has spotted two Chinese warships operating in waters near Penghu County in the Taiwan Strait and sent its own naval and air forces to monitor the vessels, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. Beijing sends warships and warplanes into the waters and skies around Taiwan on an almost daily basis, drawing condemnation from Taipei. While the ministry offers daily updates on the locations of Chinese military aircraft, it only rarely gives details of where Chinese warships are operating, generally only when it detects aircraft carriers, as happened last week. A Chinese destroyer and a frigate entered waters to the southwest
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comment last year on Tokyo’s potential reaction to a Taiwan-China conflict has forced Beijing to rewrite its invasion plans, a retired Japanese general said. Takaichi told the Diet on Nov. 7 last year that a Chinese naval blockade or military attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, potentially allowing Tokyo to exercise its right to collective self-defense. Former Japan Ground Self-Defense Force general Kiyofumi Ogawa said in a recent speech that the remark has been interpreted as meaning Japan could intervene in the early stages of a Taiwan Strait conflict, undermining China’s previous assumptions
Taiwan Railways Corp (TRC) today announced that Shin Kong Mitsukoshi has been selected as the preferred bidder to operate the Taipei Railway Station shopping mall, replacing the current operator, Breeze Development Co Ltd. Among eight qualified firms that delivered presentations and were evaluated by a review committee, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi was ranked first, while Breeze was named the runner-up, the rail company said in a statement. Contract negotiations are to proceed in accordance with regulations, it said, adding that if negotiations with the top bidder fail, it could invite the second-ranked applicant to enter talks. Breeze in a statement today expressed doubts over
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