Uber was recently spotted testing one of its "advanced" vehicles on the streets of Pittsburgh. If the massive array of equipment on the roof wasn't enough to give it away, the "Uber Advanced Technologies Center" wording plastered on the doors would certainly do the trick.

The Pittsburgh Business Times was the first to report the sighting.

The app-based car service announced plans to develop self-driving car technology this past February. At the time, Uber said it was teaming up with Carnegie Mellon University to build a new facility in Pittsburgh near campus to perform research in the areas of mapping, vehicle safety and autonomy technology.

In an e-mail to the publication, Uber spokesperson Trina Smith said the vehicle is part of their early research efforts regarding mapping, safety and autonomy systems. The company later clarified that the car in the photograph was not a self-driving model.

Uber is just one of a handful of companies currently testing and developing self-driving solutions for automobiles. One of Uber's biggest investors, Google, is perhaps at the forefront of the initiative (and also said to be developing an Uber competitor). Its fleet of self-driving cars will be hitting public roads this summer as the search giant expands its testing procedures.

Elsewhere, Audi and Volvo are both working on their own solutions while Tesla's latest vehicle, the Model S P85D, already includes a drive assist feature.

Image via Ethan Lott, Pittsburgh Business Times