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Baidu Will Launch Open-Source Self-Driving Car Platform This July

Google is not the only search giant involved in autonomous car technology, as its Chinese equivalent has long announced similar plans.
Baidu's modified BMW 3 Series GT demonstrating self-driving capabilities 1 photo
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube video by WSJ, footage from Baidu
The latest from China’s Google, Baidu, includes offering an open-source self-driving car platform to improve the existing level of technology.

The project’s goal is to have a production vehicle capable of driving itself without assistance on the road by 2020. Until then, the platform named Apollo will be available to selected members that will get to experiment with the new technology.

Once Baidu’s tech evolves, the project will begin to resemble an open-source system, like the Linux operating system. Experts are unsure how an open-source solution would be profitable, especially in a billion dollar industry like this one.

The final goal is to have driverless vehicles on highways and open city roads by 2020, which is rather ambitious if we look at the opinions of experts in the field, who do not think self-driving automobiles will become a reality that soon.

Baidu’s representatives say that they named the project after the American lunar landing program. The company stated that it is working with partners that provide vehicles, sensors, and other components to ensure that everything will collaborate to allow automobiles to drive themselves on public roads.

The Chinese at Baidu used to have a partnership with BMW that focused on researching driverless car technology, but the relationship was stopped after they had different ideas on the future. Fortunately for them, the automotive industry has many partners waiting to sign a collaboration that will provide autonomous vehicles.

Other collaborations signed by Baidu include carmakers like Ford, Lincoln, BAIC, and Chery. The announcement comes one month after Andrew Ng, the former chief scientist of the Chinese company and a “guru” in AI, left Baidu, Financial Times notes.

The general manager of the autonomous driving unit of Baidu, Wang Jing, also announced his departure from the firm, and he announced he would set up shop independently.
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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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