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Ohio
State University began developing autonomous, or self-driving,
vehicles in the 1960s. To stay on the road, early models such
as this Plymouth followed a guide wire planted in the pavement.
Sensors mounted to the cars front bumper sensed electrical current
in the wire below. This photo depicts a test drive in the parking
lot of Ohio States St. John Arena in Columbus. Photo courtesy
of Ohio State University. |
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Sensors,
like this one mounted to the bumper of a Plymouth, guided the
path of early self-driving cars developed at Ohio State University.
Photo courtesy of Ohio State University. |
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This
car -- on a test drive on a Columbus, OH, country road in the
1970s -- carried a large electric generator on its roof to power
the on-board computer and related equipment inside. Photo courtesy
of Ohio State University. |
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In
the early 1970s, computers were still large enough that fitting
one inside a car was no easy task. Ohio State engineers had to
remove half of the back seat of this car to make room for the
computer. Photo courtesy of Ohio State University. |
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By
the late 1970s, microelectronics technology had advanced to the
point that much smaller equipment could control a self-driving
car. Photo courtesy of Ohio State University. |
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As
autonomous vehicle technology progressed, self-driving cars,
such as this Chevrolet on a track at Ohio States Transportation
Research Center, became indistinguishable from normal cars. Photo
courtesy of Ohio State University. |
