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A race with a self-driving vehicle in Las Vegas – VIDEO

A self-driving vehicle is making the rounds this week at the National Broadcasters Association show in Las Vegas.

The autonomous shuttle runs a short loop with three stops between the Central Hall and South Hall. It moves at about 8 mph, which I thought made it a prime candidate for a footrace.

This is what happened when I tried running against the shuttle between two of its stops:

No contest. I clocked 16.73 seconds on the clock. It took the shuttle 48.63 seconds to arrive.

That got me wondering … could I walk faster than an autonomous vehicle?

Race-walking took me 42.08 seconds. The vehicle crossed the line at 54.39 seconds.

An operator controlling the doors said the shuttle slowed down a little (for safety) when I got too close, but I still claim victory.

Note: the race-walk was recorded three times to get the different angles used in the video. The results were the same each time. The on-screen counter shows the times of the first race.

What areas of media and technology do you have questions about? Let me know at hkeely@reviewjournal.com and/or on Twitter: @HarrisonKeely.

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