It is no secret that Apple has been working furiously to develop self-driving car technology in a bid to compete with rivals including Google and Tesla. Until now, the operation has been kept from the public eye.
Images have emerged of Apple’s first autonomous car on the roads of Silicon Valley. The car appears to be a Lexus RX450h that is fitted with a range of sensors, radar scanners and cameras.
Here's the car that #Apple's using to test its autonomous car technology. Story with @mhbergen. https://t.co/jHLnJDRjoS pic.twitter.com/zTezUmcZwC
— Alex Webb (@atbwebb) April 27, 2017
From the initial sighting, the car seems to use similar technology to efforts by competitors. Apple’s car is fitted with a array of sensors for navigation including one called lidar, which has recently become the focus of a high-profile lawsuit between Google and Uber.
Some of the sensors appeared to be made by third party companies, rather than Apple itself, someone who saw the vehicle told Bloomberg.
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