Han explaining a specialist warning system for autonomous vehicles under development at his office in Yongin, south of Seoul. Decades before the race to build a self-driving car became a multi-billion-dollar contest between the likes of Tesla and Google parent Alphabet, a South Korean professor built an autonomous vehicle and test-drove 300 kilometres from one end of the country to the other – only for his research to be consigned to the scrapheap. — AFP
YONGIN, South Korea: Decades before the race to build a self-driving car became a multi-billion-dollar contest between tech giants such as Tesla and Google, a South Korean professor built an autonomous vehicle and test-drove it across the country – only for his research to be consigned to the scrapheap.
Han Min-hong, now 79, successfully tested his self-driving car on the roads of Seoul in 1993 – a decade before Elon Musk even founded Tesla.
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Han explaining a specialist warning system for autonomous vehicles under development at his office in Yongin, south of Seoul. Decades before the race to build a self-driving car became a multi-billion-dollar contest between the likes of Tesla and Google parent Alphabet, a South Korean professor built an autonomous vehicle and test-drove 300 kilometres from one end of the country to the other – only for his research to be consigned to the scrapheap. — AFP
Han detailing a specialist warning system for autonomous vehicles under development at his office in Yongin, south of Seoul. — AFP
Han believes there are limits to what self-driving technology can achieve, and that true autonomy is beyond reach. — AFP
Han’s Chumdancha is a small company in Yongin, south of Seoul, where he and one other employee still develop specialist warning systems for autonomous vehicles. — AFP
Han sitting in his 21-year-old self-driving car in front of his office in Yongin, south of Seoul. — AFP
Han, now 79, successfully tested his self-driving car on the roads of Seoul in 1993 – a decade before Elon Musk even founded Tesla. — AFP
Han posing during an interview with AFP at his office in Yongin, south of Seoul. — AFP
Han looking at his 21-year-old self-driving car in front of his office in Yongin, south of Seoul. — AFP
Han’s invention could have paved the way for South Korea to dominate the self-driving vehicle industry, he added regretfully. — AFP
Korea University describes Han as ‘a pioneer and hero in the global field of artificial intelligence’, who is known for developing the South’s first automotive navigation system and a mini-helicopter seen as a precursor to modern-day drones, as well as his autonomous vehicle work. — AFP
Han is seen in South Korea as a genius ahead of his time – the 1990s footage has been viewed more than 1.5 million times since it was posted to YouTube in February. — AFP
