IEEE Spectrum has already reported on the race to build the first robot taxis. We noted in a February article that Google has a working prototype, Uber has begun working on robocars with Carnegie Mellon University, and Nissan has announced plans to work with NASA to “demonstrate proof-of-concept remote operation of autonomous vehicles for the transport of . . . goods . . . and people.”
Now we know more about how robotaxis might change the urban landscape. A team of transportation scientists at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s International Transport Forum recently released the results of a study [PDF] looking at the possible effects of self-driving cars on urban traffic. What they found is that robocars will have a dramatic effect on cities, allowing significant swaths of land now dedicated to travel to be turned over to recreational and commercial use.
via IEEE Spectrum
Image: International Transport Forum
