The keys to making a car that drives itself

In this week's episode of "TechKnow," Japanese engineer Tetsuya Iijima introduces contributor Kosta Grammatis to the main pieces of equipment that turn an ordinary Nissan LEAF into an autonomous vehicle. 

Three main components allow the LEAF to drive without a human controlling it: front-end lasers, a front radar panel, and rear radar panels. The lasers are responsible for detecting objects around the car while the radar panels focus on sensing the roads, reading painted traffic lines on the street to help steer. Nissan's autonomous LEAF prototype also uses sonar and small cameras all around the outside of the vehicle in order to give the car the power to park itself.

Seen Nissan's autonomous car in action. Watch "TechKnow," Saturday at 7:30PM ET/4:30PM PT on Al Jazeera America.