Autonomous Cars Patrol Israeli Border

BEERSHEBA, Israel — Along Israel's borders, a small number of automobiles patrol the area for signs of intruders. But unlike most vehicles, these cars have no drivers, and — for the most part —drive themselves.

Introduced in 2008, about eight to 10 autonomous cars have been patrolling Israeli borders, said Hugo Guterman, a researcher at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Guterman helped develop the computer system that controls the cars, although the research was funded by Israel's Ministry of Defense, and a company named G-NIUS produces the cars.

Guterman recently showed off a prototype called the Tomcar to reporters that he says works much like the cars that are currently patrolling the borders. The Tomcar uses several cameras to view its surroundings, as well as lasers and radar to avoid hitting obstacles, and is controlled by a three-tiered computer program, Guterman said. The lowest level actually controls the car, turning the steering wheel, braking or accelerating. The medium level uses GPS to navigate the terrain, and gathers information from its cameras and sensors. The highest level takes this information and "decides" what to do, especially when surprises arise, Guterman explained.