Apple was recently granted a permit to begin testing autonomous vehicles in California and now we’re learning more about the company’s plans thanks to a public records request by Business Insider.
According to documents released by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, the company’s autonomous driving technology is called the “Apple Automated System.” Unlike some of Google’s prototypes, the Apple autonomous driving prototype has a Logitech steering wheel and pedal kit with drive-by-wire technology.
The Cupertino-based tech giant said “the development platform is capable of sending electronic commands for steering, accelerating, and decelerating and may carry out portions of the dynamic driving task.”
Apple test drivers must undergo seven different tests to ensure they can quickly override the autonomous driving system in case of an emergency. The first two tests involve driving on a closed course at a set speed. More advanced tests require the trainee to demonstrate they can override the vehicle by grabbing the steering wheel, pressing the brake pedal, or manually making a lane change.
Apple has applied for six driver permits to be used in three modified Lexus RX 450h vehicles. The grainy pictures posted by BI fail to reveal much but it appears the driver sits behind the front passenger seat and operates a steering wheel and pedal assembly installed in the rear. This is an odd decision but it could be two-fold: It isn’t very noticeable to outside observers and it eliminates the need to reprogram the traditional steering wheel and pedals to accept inputs from both drivers and computers.
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Images California DMV via Business Insider