The car was equipped with a special safe for papers with a combination lock.
The American company Embark, the creator of autonomous trucks, taught them to present documents to the police and demonstrated an episode of such communication on video.
Like self-driving cars of other companies, Embark tractors can recognize cars with flashing lights and stop, but the developers have gone further: now law enforcement officers can check documents by requesting a code from a special safe from the operator.
The test interaction of a drone with a police officer was filmed in the state of Texas, where Embark tractors make test runs. The car recognizes a police car driving behind it with its blinkers off. According to the script written in the system, it contacts the human operator who makes the decision to stop. After that, the inscription Safe to approach is displayed on a special display in the cabin, which informs that it is possible to approach the car.
A police officer who approached the cockpit can check the drone’s documents by opening the safe. It is protected by a code that can be obtained from the same operator by contacting him by phone number. When the inspection is complete and the papers are put back, the operator engages the autopilot and the machine continues.
Thus, the verification of documents cannot yet be done without the help of a person who remotely makes decisions for the car. However, this type of interaction can also be useful when more drones without a driver in the cabin are released on the roads.
