HUFFINGTON
09.29.13
PATRICK T. FALLON/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES
DRIVER ON BOARD
custom-made screen mounted on
the car’s dash, and drivers usually have 30 seconds’ notice before
they need to take over.
But is that just enough time,
too much or too little?
Nass invited me to be one of his
first lab rats in the simulator, and
he was curious to see how I handled the obstacles that popped up
on the road in the moments after
I took over for the car.
I buckle my seatbelt in the driver’s seat of the full-sized 2012 Toyota sedan. The car is surrounded
by curved screens the size of billboards, onto which six projectors
shine interchangeable animated
driving courses. One minute I’m
passing trucks, Land Rovers and
Audi sedans in what vaguely looks
like a Boston neighborhood. The
next I’m cruising down a highway
lined with office parks and TGI
Fridays restaurants. (“I built the
world,” boasts one student who
works at Nass’ lab.) A subwoofer
mimics the growl of an engine, and
the whole scene is so lifelike, I’m
even starting to feel carsick.
The Toyota’s autonomous mode
kicks in, and the car takes over.
Seconds later, a white BMW
swerves in front of me and slams
on its brakes. Normally I’d panic,
but the car has this one handled.
The Toyota immediately taps the
brake, slows down, then picks up
speed once the other car has driv-
After taking
the global lead
on electric car
sales with the
Leaf, Nissan
wants to be
ahead of the
curve on selfdriving vehicle
technology
with projected
offerings as
soon as 2020.