Augmented reality for robocars

FOR DECADES, ANYONE WHO WANTED TO KNOW WHETHER A NEW CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE COULD SIMPLY PUT IT THROUGH ITS PACES, using tests established through trial and error. Such tests might investigate whether the car can take a sharp turn while keeping all four wheels on the road, brake to a stop over a short distance, or survive a collision with a wall while protecting its occupants. • But as cars take an ever greater part in driving themselves, such straightforward testing will no longer suffice. We will need to know whether the vehicle has enough intelligence to handle the same kind of driving conditions that humans have always had to manage. To do that, automotive safety-assurance testing has to become less like an obstacle course and more like an IQ test.