A French-made robot bus is set to be trialled in an Australian state as part of wider preparations into the use of autonomous vehicles on local roads.

A French-made driverless electric shuttle bus will carry 15 passengers at speeds up to 45 km per hour in the Western Australia state capital Perth using three-dimensional sensing technology that allows the bus to avoid obstacles and detect and read road signs.

Western Australia's Transport Minister Dean Nalder on Tuesday said the trial would help test the concept of automated vehicles on the state's roads, however having driverless public transport options are some way away.

"It is a trial, and at the end of the day trials have ups and downs. There will be things that don't work that we'll learn from, but it's all about learning so we're better prepared for the future," Nalder said.

Royal Automobile Club (RAC) of Western Australia chief executive Terry Agnew said the staged trial, which is being conducted by RAC, would help lawmakers understand the legislative and practical challenges posed by autonomous vehicles.

"Not only are we thinking about regulation and how it might work operationally, but importantly we can start understanding the human factor of how Western Australians will embrace and use this innovative technology," Agnew said.

The development of self driving technology has become the latest battleground in the technology market with global automotive manufacturers snapping up software experts in the race to develop a self-driving car for the consumer market.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, on the sidelines of the Frankfurt Auto Show in September last year, said he expected driverless cars to be widespread operation throughout the world within 10 years.

High-end electric automotive manufacturer Tesla has taken the realization of that expectation a step further by releasing a software upgrade for the Model S four-door saloon's autopilot system that was released in October. The upgrade allows its cars to automatically change lanes by the touch of the indicator, managing speed and even hit the breaks, though its not recommended for use in urban areas.

However many of the world's automotive manufacturers are catching up, with suggestions they will have roadworthy autonomous cars before 2020. Mercedes, Audi and Google all have working prototypes. Enditem

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