A self-driving bus crashed within hours of beginning a service, giving humanity further hope of victory in the coming war against the robots.
The driver-less shuttle - with the text 'the future is here' written on the side - had just begun setting off on half-mile loops around Las Vegas. However, on its first day of service, a delivery truck clipped into it as it was coming out of an alley.
"The shuttle did its job in that the sensors hit on the truck, knew the truck was coming and stopped as it was supposed to do. The problem was the truck didn't stop," Vegas city spokesman Jace Radke told the Independent.
"That's the whole point of doing this, is to test it in traffic, see what happens when it's introduced with moving cars and all those variables out there."
Credit: PA Images
The shuttle service is part of a joint project of insurance giant AAA (American Automobile Association), transportation company Kelois and French tech firm Nayva, as manufacturers look to prove that they are safe.
"Autonomous technology has the potential to save lives and improve traffic safety," AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah president Tim Condon said in a press release touting the new shuttle.
But, based on what went on, the evidence is that they're not quite there yet. Though, admittedly, technology is definitely moving fast at the moment around vehicles.
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For example, Dubai police recently announced that they are testing out futuristic hoverbikes that look like they've come straight out of the Star Wars franchise.
Check out the following video to see what they're like:
Credit: Dubai Media Office
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"The bike can also fly without a passenger and can go up to six kilometres. It can fly for 25 minutes and can carry up to 300 kg of weight at a speed of 70km/h," First Sergeant Ali Ahmad Mohammad from the VIP Security Department in Dubai Police told Gulf News.
Featured Image Credit: PA ImagesTopics: Science, US News, travel, Bus, Las Vegas