The Chinese search engine giant Baidu Inc. has confirmed that it is working on a self-driving car that aims only to assist, and not replace, drivers, in contrast to its U.S. rival Google's version.

Baidu said development work had already started and emphasized that the vehicle would not replace the need for human drivers. Instead, the car will be "highly autonomous" in collecting information about traffic and road conditions, Baidu Director Yu Kai said in an interview.

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Compared with Google's model, which has no steering wheel, accelerator or brake pedals, Baidu's car will be as a "horse" that would lead itself unless the driver wanted to take control.

However, the vehicle will have its own self-driving ability if necessary. Yu said that the technology aims to give the driver options on when he wants to take the wheel and take over or let the car drive itself.

Yu added that the car will be geared up with cameras, sensors, radar and a navigation system which will allow it to drive itself to destinations that are inputted on the navigation device. The sensors will collect data about recent traffic conditions so the vehicle can plan its route and speed accordingly.

The main goal of Baidu's car technology is to improve safety in driving through the help of artificial and big data intelligence, Yu stated.

The first prototype will be released in 2015.

The project is connected with Baidu's technology in big data and in human interaction with computers, independent Chinese internet expert Xin Haiguang said in a report on the local newspaper China Daily.

He added that Baidu has a strong advantage in collecting and processing data because it is a search engine company. As search engines give people answers after data analysis, Baidu's car concept will be practically doing the same - making decisions in driving and navigation after analyzing traffic conditions, Xin said.

TagsBaidu self-driving car, Google Car, Google self-driving car, China's Baidu is developing a self-drving car