Is Ropits the future of assisted driving?

The Japanese technology company Hitachi recently introduced its fully automatic self-driving car that has been specially built for the elderly and disabled. With a simple touch on a screen the Ropits, short for Personal Intelligent Transport System, can bring you anywhere you want as long as there’s a pavement or footpath leading to it.

The vehicle is equipped with sensors, cameras and 3D lasers to be able to avoid bumping into pedestrians or getting stuck in a pothole. The navigation is easily initiated via a touch-screen map that is connected to a GPS device. With a top speed of 4 mph, the Ropits is even able to overcome steps by adapting the front wheel height while keeping the vehicle upright.

If the passenger gets into any trouble during the automated journey the vehicle can be manually navigated with a joystick.