Two Asian technology giants are currently making their way into another field: the car industry.

According to Wired, Chinese internet giant Baidu has announced that its first autonomous car has successfully completed a complicated road course in Beijing.

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Baidu, also known as the Chinese Google, had a modified BMW 3-Series car run through a complex route that required left, right and U-turns; changing lanes; overtaking other cars and merging onto and off highways. All in all, the car ran an impressive 18.6 miles all by itself.

Although that doesn't sound new in areas where other companies such as Google have tested their own autonomous vehicles, for China it comes as a milestone – proving that it can contend in developing and launching the technology.

Baidu senior vice president Wang Jing told the Wall Street Journal that the company had built two autonomous prototypes of the said Gran Turismo cars. Like Google's self-driving car, these prototypes use laser radars, sensors and cameras to see their surroundings, coupled with highly-detailed maps and deep-learning software that enable the car to run.

Baidu said that its goal is to develop the self-driving car technology for use in public transportation, adding that within five to ten years, it will be able to map the majority of China's highways with the amount of detail needed for autonomous public transportation vehicles to function effectively

Another tech giant, Samsung, has also announced that it will be creating various items meant for cars. According to Reuters, the Korean company said that it will create a new division that will focus on designing and building in-car entertainment, satellite navigation and self-driving technologies.

Unlike other companies, Samsung, however, does not plan on building its own self-driving vehicle.

TagsSelf-Driving Car, Google self-driving car, Baidu self-driving car, Samsung Self Driving Car