The next day's test was scheduled for two in the afternoon.
By the time I arrived, Kate was already standing in the observation area.
Nelson stood right beside her, tablet in hand, leaning in to show her some data. Their shoulders were nearly touching.
I didn't spare them a glance. Found a seat in the corner and sat down.
The test track was a closed-off stretch of road behind the company building. A straight lane ending in a cluster of simulated obstacles, traffic cones lining both sides. The test vehicle was a modified SUV with a lidar array and cameras mounted on the roof, "Autonomous Driving Test" decals running along the body panels.
The executives filtered in one by one. Three people came from the client's side, led by a man in his forties. His name was Nigel Donaldson, and everyone addressed him as Mr. Donaldson.
The first test began.
The vehicle pulled away from the starting mark, cruised at a steady speed toward the first simulated pedestrian, and braked to a clean stop.
Mr. Donaldson nodded, visibly pleased.
Nelson jumped in immediately. "That's the result of our optimization for low-speed urban scenarios. Detection range is up fifteen percent over the previous build."