Google and Tesla might be the most recognizable names dabbling in self-driving vehicles in the West, but it would seem that Nissan has beaten its local competitors in Japan by unleashing “ProPilot.” This is the Japanese company’s version of the semi-autonomous features that Tesla currently has, and will be added to the “Serena” minivan.
Nissan is the first company in Japan to introduce semi-autonomous driving that hit its streets, CNET reports. Intended to assist drivers during those long traffic jams or long-distance driving sessions, the “ProPilot” can take control of the various driving implements when it needs to such as the breaks, acceleration, and even steering.
It’s also equipped with windshield cameras, which will gauge just how close the vehicle is to others, thus preventing collisions. Unfortunately, the feature only works for single lanes and will not switch accordingly to overtake as Tesla’s Autopilot would.
Nissan has expressed its goals of seeing roads that are driven by machines instead of the people in the near future. This is just the first step for the automaker to fulfill its goals of making all of its vehicles in Japan completely autonomous by 2020, according to Fortune.
In order to use the “ProPilot” system, drivers will simply need to engage the feature and watch as the vehicle drives itself. The feature will slow and accelerate depending on how far the front vehicle is, and when traffic stops, so will the vehicle. Once traffic starts moving again, a quick tap on the accelerator will wake up the “ProPilot” and it will take over the driver again.
Right now, the “ProPilot” is decidedly less advanced than what Tesla has to offer thanks to the number of sensory gizmos that the American company uses. The Nissan version also requires more interaction from the driver, but perhaps that’s not such a bad thing. After all, judging the legal hurdles that Tesla now has to face, it seems people need more time to adjust to the reality of self-driving vehicles.


Google's TurboQuant Algorithm Sends Memory Chip Stocks Tumbling
SpaceX Eyes Historic IPO at $1.75 Trillion Valuation
Australia's Social Media Ban for Under-16s Sparks Global Movement
Microsoft Eyes $7B Texas Energy Deal to Power AI Data Centers
Makemation: a Nollywood movie that shows AI in action in Africa
Elon Musk Ties SpaceX IPO Access to Mandatory Grok AI Subscriptions
SpaceX IPO Filing Expected This Week as Valuation Could Surpass $75 Billion
Rubio Directs U.S. Diplomats to Use X and Military Psyops to Counter Foreign Propaganda
SK Hynix Eyes Up to $14 Billion U.S. IPO to Fund AI Chip Expansion
Reflection AI Eyes $25 Billion Valuation in Massive $2.5 Billion Funding Round
Microsoft's $10 Billion Japan Investment: AI Infrastructure and Data Sovereignty Push
SMIC Allegedly Supplies Chipmaking Tools to Iran's Military, U.S. Officials Warn
Britain Courts Anthropic Amid US Defense Department Dispute
Cybersecurity Stocks Tumble After Anthropic's Claude Mythos AI Leak Sparks Market Fears
California's AI Executive Order Pushes Responsible Tech Use in State Contracts
Federal Judge Blocks Pentagon's Blacklisting of AI Company Anthropic
NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission 



