Uber is testing a self-driving car

The local Pittsburgh Business Times spotted a Uber-tested automatic car on the streets of that city, known for its famous app that replaces city taxis. The company's plans for self-driving cars became known last year, when it announced a collaboration with researchers from Carnegie Mellon University.

Uber responded to a reporter's question about the construction, denying it was a complete system. A spokesman for the company explained in the newspaper that it was "the first exploratory attempt at mapping and security of autonomous systems." And Uber doesn't want to provide any further information.

The photo, taken by the newspaper, shows a black Ford with "Uber Center of Excellence" written on it, and a fairly large, distinctive "growth" on the roof that likely houses the autonomous driving system's sensor array. All this is very similar to Google's autonomous car tests, although the latter company has not been too secretive about its work.