A robot is driving across America

A machine inside a machine plans to cover an epic 5,000 kilometres. Here are the details of the first big step towards driverless mobility

For the first time in motoring’s 107-year history, a car driven by a machine will make a roadtrip across the United States — a distance of 5,000 kilometres.

The car is an Audi SQ5 and inside, will be tech invented by the wizards of Delhi. Sure, you have not heard of the company but Delphi have been around, quietly tinkering away.

In fact, a year before the Titanic smashed into that big rock of ice, Delphi unveiled the world’s first electric starter. Then in 1936, the British firm brought out the first in-dash car radio. Here’s more. Delhi made $1.4 billion last year and the plucky firm expect to grow by 50 per cent year-over-year. But robot Audi, is easily the company’s most ambitious venture yet. The car is packed with more sensors than the ex, including a long-range radar that can spot a rabbit 180 feet ahead and there’s a windshield camera looking out for traffic alerts — red lights, lane warnings and cows.

The big drive will begin on March 22 — from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge towards New York — and Delphi plan to finish the trip in eight days.

When the vehicle’s not on the highway, a human inside will take over the controls. It will be mighty embarrassing for human kind if the dude crashed the car.

“It’s time to put our vehicle to the ultimate test by broadening the range of driving conditions,” Delphi CTO Jeff Owens was quoted as saying in reports.

For the firm, this is a trip to gather tonnes of real-world data. How does the car behave, what are the blind spots, do the electronics hold on to bumps on the road... etc. It’s proof-of-concept, a human trial — call it whatever you want. But Delphi remain one confident lot.

But is this the giant leap for motoring Driverless cars will arrive sooner than you think.

In fact, fleet operators are already mulling a few of those funny Google cars because yes, you don’t have to pay the driver and that’s a major component off the bill. Plus, passengers may feel better relaxed when they know it’s not some paan-spitting, foul-mouthed criminal who is behind the wheel. So, in a collective breath... drive safe Delphi!