Apple has developed an Automated System for its self-driving car project, and has also put in place a special training programme to teach employees how to regain manual control of autonomous cars.
According to Apple's "Development Platform Specific Training" document, obtained by Business Insider, the company is working on an autonomous driving technology, dubbed the "Apple Autonomous System." The latest report came a week after the Cupertino tech giant obtained permission to test self driving cars in California.
The leaked documents also revealed that drivers need to clear seven tests including low speed driving, high speed driving, tight U-turn, sudden steering input, sudden acceleration, sudden breaking and conflicting turn signal and action. To pass each test, every driver must complete two practice runs and three trials.
The documents also suggest that Apple's "Autonomous System" is controlled electronically during safety testing, which requires drivers to know how to manually control the vehicle when needed.
According to the training packet, Apple's self-driving car uses a Logitech wheel and pedals to actuate drive by wire, and it supports one person at a time.
Pressing the brake pedal or grabbing the steering wheel in Apple's test vehicles will disengage the electronic driving mode, but drivers can accelerate without overriding the "drive by wire" mode.
Last week, Apple was granted a permit to test autonomous vehicles on public roads in the state of California. According to the California DMV website, the iPhone-maker was added to a list of permit holders that includes giants like Google, Tesla, BMW, Honda, Ford and Nissan.
Earlier reports said that Apple had applied for a permit to use three 2015 Lexus RX450h SUVs, which will be driven by six drivers who are experts in areas like machine learning.
The newly leaked document also has names of six Apple employees who have passed the company's autonomous vehicle test. Therefore, it's likely that these six drivers will get the opportunity to operate the self-driving platform.
Here's the full copy of the document:
Autonomous Vehicle Tester (AVT) Program Application for Manufacturer's Testing Permit by Mikey Campbell on Scribd
