Press Releases
24 Sep 2025
An International Expert Affirms That the Autonomous Transport Systems are the Result of 80 Years of Dedicated Efforts
Dr. Steven Shladover, a pioneer in autonomous transportation, affirmed that the current global experiences with advanced and autonomous transport systems are the result of nearly 80 years of dedicated efforts and initiatives. He noted that these contributions have come from numerous experts and researchers around the world, particularly in the United States, Japan, and several European countries.
He added, in his closing keynote address on the first day of the 4th Dubai World Congress for Self-Driving Transport 2025, held under the theme “Autonomous Transport: Lessons from 20 Years of Progress”, that major efforts to automate driving systems and self-driving technologies began in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. These efforts advanced considerably in the 1990s through flight simulation, control centres, and several fundamental technical developments.
The international expert in self-driving transport technologies, who has led several projects at the University of California, Berkeley for more than 40 years, stated that the efforts of some universities and countries in developing self-driving mobility systems were initially met with public scepticism and safety concerns. He added that development work has continued without interruption throughout this period and that the outcomes have been encouraging.
He concluded that developers of autonomous vehicles and driving technologies are working continuously and competitively to address key challenges, most notably reducing the financial cost of these technologies and strengthening public confidence in their safety, particularly after companies have removed drivers and made the vehicles fully autonomous.