Japanese carmaker Nissan has begun testing driverless vehicle technology on city streets in Yokohama. The company recently demonstrated the efforts for Associated Press (AP) reporters.

Nissan is testing the technology on its Serena minivan model. The vehicle is equipped with 14 cameras, as well as other sensors that use radar and LiDAR technologies.

Radar uses radio waves to identify the position of an object. LiDAR is a light-based technology that uses sensors and lasers to measure distances and produce three-dimensional (3D) maps of the surrounding environment.

Nissan’s testing in Yokohama demonstrates the progress in self-driving technology made by some Japanese manufacturers. While Japan is home to some of the world’s largest carmakers, it has moved more slowly to develop driverless systems than the U.S. China and other nations.

One of the major players in self-driving technology, Google’s Waymo, is reportedly set to arrive in Japan this year. The AP reports Waymo signed a partnership with Japanese taxi company Nihon Kotsu to begin testing Waymo’s all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles.

Waymo has long tested its driverless technology in the U.S. and is currently operating self-driving taxi services in several American cities.

Details of the Waymo partnership have not been announced. But the AP reports Nihon Kotsu will oversee the tests. The joint efforts will reportedly begin in areas around Tokyo. During testing, a human taxi driver will ride along in the vehicles in case they need to take control of the vehicle during an emergency.

During Nissan’s testing in Yokohama, a technician watches the vehicle’s activity from the company’s headquarters and can intervene to take control of the car if necessary. Human drivers also ride along in the passenger seat in case the system fails.

Nissan demonstrated the testing process as the streets of Yokohama were filled with other cars and people walking through the area. The vehicle’s travel path is set by using a smartphone app . The Serena vehicle was shown staying within the area’s 40-kilometer-per-hour speed limit.

Takeshi Kimura is an engineer who helps lead Nissan’s driverless technology efforts. He says he thinks automakers themselves are better equipped to develop self-driving systems than technology companies.

Kimura noted this is because car manufacturers are more knowledgeable about all the overall workings of a vehicle. “How the sensors must be adapted to the car’s movements, or to monitor sensors and computers to ensure reliability and safety requires an understanding of the auto system overall,” he said.

The AP reports Nissan’s technology is still technically at the industry's Level Two stage of development because it offers only partial automation .

Nissan has said it plans on operating at least 20 testing vehicles in the Yokohama area over the next couple of years. The company’s goal is to have its self-driving vehicles reach Level Four by 2029 or 2030. This level means there will be no human involvement or even a person serving as a backup.

So far, Japan has approved the use of Level Four driverless vehicles in a rural area in Fukui Prefecture. But those vehicles look more like golf carts. A Level Four bus is being used in a limited area near Tokyo’s Haneda airport. But its top speed is just 12 kilometers per hour. Nissan's self-driving vehicle is a full-sized car that can reach normal speeds.

Others working on the technology in Japan include young companies like Tier IV. But that business has pushed for more cooperative development efforts between technology companies.

Japanese automaker Toyota recently announced it was building a research center in a city-like setting to test robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and self-driving vehicle technologies. The company said it had completed the first part of the center, called Woven City, near the southern Japanese city of Susono.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English.

Words in This Story

three-dimensional (3-D) – adj. having height, width and length

app – n. a small computer program that can be put onto a mobile phone or other electronic device

adapt – v. to change something so that it is suitable for a new situation

reliable – adj. able to be depended upon

automate – v. to control something using machines instead of people