Samsung Gets Self-driving Car Permit In California

Image copyright JUNG YEON-JE

Samsung has been granted permission to test self-driving cars on public roads in California.

The permit means its driverless vehicles will be able to travel on the same routes as cars driven by humans.

The firm has said it had no plans to make its own driverless cars, but instead will make control systems for so-called autonomous vehicles.

In May, Samsung got permission to test self-driving cars in South Korea fitted with its own sensors and software.

The company has taken several different steps recently to bolster its self-driving car technology division.

One of the biggest steps was its $8bn (£6.2bn) acquisition late last year of the vehicle audio firm Harman.

It said it bought the firm to help it get established in "connected" car systems.

The South Korean firm also has a significant stake in car maker Renault and is believed to be helping it develop its own self-driving controls.

Despite the connection with Renault, Samsung's work on self-driving cars in South Korea involved adapting Hyundai cars to work on their own.

Samsung is just one of a growing roster of technology companies testing or investing in self-driving car technology.

Google, Apple, Baidu, Nvidia and Uber are all doing so.

In addition, many established car manufacturers are pushing on with in-car tech that will steadily move control of a vehicle away from human drivers, such as advanced cruise control, self-parking and autopilot functions.