Self-driving taxi hits in Singapore read more at here www.spinonews.com/index.php/item/692-self-driving-taxi-hits-in-singapore

It's a company called nuTonomy, a US-based start-up developer of software for self-driving cars. The company was founded in 2013 by two MIT researchers specializing in robotics and driverless technology.

The firm has offices both in the US and in Singapore.

But the cars are doing the driving themselves, and the driver is only there to monitor the performance and as a backup in case something goes wrong.

Given that nuTonomy is not a car manufacturer, these are not flashy futuristic vehicles designed for a driverless future. Rather, they are small Renault and Mitsubishi electric vehicles that have been equipped with the company's software and cameras.

For now, the taxis only run in a 2.5-square-mile business and residential district called one-north and pick-ups and drop-offs are limited to specified locations.

Riders must have an invitation from nuTonomy to use the service. The company says dozens have signed up for the launch, and it plans to expand that list to thousands of people within a few months.

The micro cars are still, however, a step up from some of nuTonomy's previous trials with driverless vehicles in 2014 - back then, the flashy ride was in fact an electric golf cart.

The new taxi trial currently consists of a fleet of six cars each of them has a complex system of lasers that operate like a radar to monitor the car's surrounding.

In addition there are cameras that work with the software.

Select members of the public can hail a free ride through their smartphones in taxis operated by nuTonomy, an autonomous vehicle software startup.

While multiple companies, including Google and Volvo, have been testing self-driving cars on public roads for several years, nuTonomy says is the first to offer rides to the public.