Love them, loathe them, Uber is set to be huge. Huge on an Google/Amazon/Apple/General Motors scale.
The taxi revolution is just the start: soon there'll be Uber courier systems decimating national mail services the world over, then it's going to tackle the way we own cars (we won't 'own' them any more), and then there's their self-driving ambitions - which just took a big step forward.
Uber has announced a sponsored_longform with the University of Arizona to create "state-of-the-art mapping test vehicles", with a focus on "research and development in the optics space for mapping and safety." Arizona's Governor Doug Ducey has also given Uber the blessing of his office, giving permission to Uber to test its cars on the state's roads.
"All Arizonans stand to benefit from embracing new technologies - especially when it means new jobs, new economic development, new research opportunities and increased public safety and transportation options for our state," said Governor Ducey in an official statement.
Related: The unstoppable rise of Uber
There's no word on just how far Uber's self-driving tech has come. Having already opened a similar testing facility with Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Uber's vice president of advanced technologies Brian McClendon stated that the company was "still in the early days of what's possible".
We're sure all of Arizona's citizens are looking forward to seeing Uber's mapping text vehicles taking to the road.
Unless they're cab drivers. Or bus drivers. Or work in transit. Or haulage. Or own a car dealership. You get the idea.
[Via: Tech Radar]
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