Self-driving taxis coming to Japan in 2016

While Google has made excellent progress with its self-driving vehicle over the last few years, it seems that Japan is swiftly catching up, as trials of the “Robot Taxi” are set to begin in the country next year.

Robot Taxi is hoping to market these driverless cars by 2020, which would be helpful for locals and visitors in rural areas where buses and trains do not run.

The Johnny Cabs from Total Recall are closer than ever to being real.

The trial will be fairly limited. There will be a human driver behind the wheel at all times to takeover should things go wrong.

During these test rides passengers will be picked up from their homes and driving by the auto to local stores and back home.

Created in collaboration with ZMP, a robotics start-up based in Tokyo, the self-driving taxis are reportedly retrofitted versions of the Estima hybrid minivan made by Toyota, complete with sensors and image recognition technology.

There is no word on how many vehicles will be deployed during the testing phase.

Initially, the service plans to operate in places lacking in public transport, and to help tourists find their way around.

Robotics is a big focus in Japan, the idea is to build machines that can do more leg work for people, particularly since a third of Japan’s population is over the age of 60 and may need the extra assistance. That’s providing it can overcome the huge number of regulatory hurdles in its way. But still, it’s quite a leap to let them loose on our roads.