HumanDrive

A Nissan Leaf will drive itself on British country roads, roundabouts, and motorways by 2019, mimicking human driving behaviour rather than following rigid, robotic paths. Most autonomous vehicles struggle with the nuanced, unpredictable decisions human drivers make—judging when to overtake on a narrow lane or how to merge smoothly onto a roundabout. This project, called HumanDrive, aims to fill that gap by building an AI that learns from human driving patterns, not just from maps and sensors. The goal is a car that feels natural to its occupants, not jerky or hesitant. If successful, the impact could be felt in two ways. First, passengers in Level 4 autonomous vehicles—cars that can drive themselves without human input in defined conditions—would have a more comfortable, less nauseating ride. Second, the project will test how such vehicles interact with the UK’s Strategic Road Network, feeding data to Highways England and Milton Keynes Council about traffic flow, safety, and infrastructure demands. This could quietly reshape how roads are designed and managed. The consortium includes Nissan, Hitachi, Cranfield University, and others, with Atkins and SBD handling cybersecurity. The vehicle will be demonstrated on a real route.