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Uber Begins Testing Self-Driving Car

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS / AP) -- Bay Area-based Uber is testing a self-driving car on public streets in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Uber says it has outfitted a Ford Fusion hybrid with radars, laser scanners and high-resolution cameras. It's using the car to test self-driving capability and collect mapping data.

A trained driver remains behind the wheel for now. Uber says it's still in the early stages of its self-driving tests and needs to make sure the technology is safe.

The San Francisco ride-hailing company says Pittsburgh is an ideal place to test self-driving cars because it has a wide variety of weather and road types.

Uber Technologies Inc. announced a partnership with Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University last year. It has also opened its own Advanced Technologies Center, which is led by a former Carnegie Mellon robotics engineer.

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