"Last year, I joined the AI developer conference in an unmanned vehicle and received a ticket. Many people asked me when Baidu unmanned vehicles could be mass-produced. I answered July 2018”, said Li Yanhong, founder, chairman and CEO of Baidu on the company’s AI (Artificial Intelligence) Developer Conference on July 3rd in Beijing.
At the conference, Li announced that the world's first L4 self-driving bus "Apolong" has officially rolled off the production line. "Apolong" has been co-developed by Baidu and Jinlong Bus. The first batch of unmanned buses will be put into commercial operation in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Beijing, Xiong'an and Tokyo.
According to Li, it’s the first Chinese manufactured autonomous electric vehicle brand to be sold abroad.
According to Xinhua, the bus has no steering wheel, driver’s seat or brakes. The AI can fully perceive its surroundings and identify appropriate navigation paths.
Li believed that AI technology will be more and more prevalent in people's lives in the near future.
Author | Sylvia Xu
Editor | Simon Haywood
