Roboats: Amsterdam to trial self-driving electric boats

Four-metre vessels will carry out tasks such as collecting rubbish and transporting passengers

Amsterdam is to trial self-driving electric boats to carry out tasks such as collecting rubbish and transporting passengers.

The Dutch capital's 60 miles of canals have been used for transport since long before cars and trucks powered by polluting internal combustion engines began clogging its narrow roads. Now a project called the Roboat aims to develop new ways of navigating the world's waterways without a human hand at the wheel.