If autonomous technology isn't already crazy enough, Nissan and NASA plan on taking it one step further by developing self-driving cars to use in space.
The Japanese automaker and the space agency's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. announced the partnership Thursday, which will last for five years and focus on developing technology that will eventually be added to consumer vehicles, according to the Associated Press.
The cars created through the partnership will come with sensors so they'll be able to tell if they are about to collide and brake automatically without any effort from the driver.
"The partnership brings together the best and brightest of NASA and Nissan and validates our investments in Silicon Valley," said Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn.
NASA's expertise and curiosity in technology, such as using its rovers for years to gather data on Mars, should help with its new initiative with Nissan. The agency has also shown interest in autonomous driving in the past, which Nissan has experience in, Gizmodo reported.
"We have a rover on Mars. It is not very autonomous," said Peter Worden, director of the Ames Research Center. "As we go deeper into space, into more and more dangerous locations, we need to add that autonomy."
Nissan is only one of several automakers in the autonomous field right now, with Toyota, Ford and General Motors are working on their own self-driving cars.
