| Mechanism |
Characteristics |
Classification
|
| Clockwork car
|
Simple mechanical control
|
Never considered a robot
|
| Remotely operated vehicle
|
Operated under human control
|
Sometimes considered a robot (or telerobot).[1]
|
| Car with an onboard computer, like Bigtrak
|
Drives in a pre-programmed sequence
|
Might be called a robot
|
| Self-controlled car such as the 1990s driverless cars of Ernst Dickmanns or the entries in the DARPA Grand Challenge
|
Senses its environment and makes driving decisions based on this information
|
Likely called a robot
|
| Sentient car, like the fictional KITT
|
Makes decisions, navigates freely and converses fluently with a human
|
Usually considered a robot
|
