Recently, a van was seen rolling around Arlington, Va., without a driver behind the wheel.
Virginia residents took it to be an autonomous vehicle since the state had approved the testing of self-driving cars just a week before. Also, Virginia Tech University had been testing autonomous cars and drones in the area.
But the reality was even more intriguing!
The driverless vehicle was actually being driven by a person. A person who was, uh, dressed up as a car seat.
Adam Tuss of NBC Washington tracked the car down and looked inside at a red light. He was shocked to see a man’s hands and legs below the steering wheel. The man was driving the van, but he was wearing a beige and black costume that covered his torso making him look like the seat of a car. Tuss was, however, unsuccessful in persuading the “car seat” guy to speak to him.
Finally the mystery solved!
After multiple inquiries by NBC 4, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute finally confirmed that the van and the driver were part of their study on driverless vehicles.
Virginia Tech released a statement saying, “the driver’s seating area is configured to make the driver less visible within the vehicle, while still allowing him or her ability to safely monitor and respond to surroundings.”
