The prototype car is a Nissan Leaf, which the entire cargo area is full of appliances that controls and regulates the self-driving technology. In five years, everything should be contained in a box the size of a video-game consoles. Photo: Eric Lund
We roll out into the Tokyo traffic. Everything is completely undramatic, except that the driver has released the steering wheel. The car rushes away almost soundlessly, because it is the Nissan Leaf electric car we travel in.
Soon approaching an intersection where the navigation screen shows we will turn left. The driver still has no hand on the wheel, and his feet rest from the brake and accelerator pedals. The car changes lanes, slow down in time for köslutet, biding his time at the red light, accelerates when the queue starts moving and then turn left onto New Street. Fully automatically.
All major automakers is working intensively with the technology that will make the cars self-propelled. At the motor show in Los Angeles recently, Volvo further steps in their research, and it’s race to first get a car that can run completely self – not only withstand relatively simple traffic queues.
American Tesla released recently new software for its electric cars, making them partially self-driving on highways. You call it a beta product, meaning that customers can join in and test a not yet fully developed technology.
Japanese Nissan’s plan is that in 2016 launch technology that will make the car yourself driving in queues, in 2018 technology manages highway driving, including on slip roads and 2020 technology that allows it to fend for itself, even in complex urban traffic.
Another must Nissan test driver have his hands documents prepared beside the wheel, but in the long run, the car should be able to take care of oneself as well as the motorway in city traffic. Photo: Eric Lund
It is a prototype to 2020 årstekniken we now test rides in Tokyo. The boot is packed full of devices that today are required to maneuver the car automatically, but in five years it should have been boiled down to a box the size of a video-game console.
– Our goal is that the price of the finished the product must be in the same district as today’s system for auto-braking and collision warning systems, says Richard Candler who is responsible for product strategy at Nissan. Not even the buyers of our cheapest models should have to hesitate to make the choice.
The overall purpose with self-driving cars is to reduce road accidents. The first steps have already been taken with the automatic braking system, which is standard in more and more vehicles. The more the car can manage on their own, the greater the safety profit as all calculations.
But there is also another aspect: many people like to drive, but few like getting tangled up in queues or heavy city traffic . In a self-driving car, the driver can engage in to see the film (which the automaker, of course, is financial gain in cooperation with the app and movie distributors) or use the time to work.
Nissan prototype has radar and laser sensors and twelve cameras that read the environment. The instruments in front of the driver – including a display projected on the windshield – always shows the vehicle’s intentions. Yet, however the driver to be ready for action in the Japanese traffic, legal requirements say that the hands must be kept near the steering wheel.
How can you trust that pedestrians do not suddenly absentmindedly starts to cross the street ?
The hardware is already well developed. What remains is programming. To follow filindelningar, read the traffic lights and turn right amount on the steering wheel may be complicated – but it is probably very simple in comparison with the millions of decisions a driver makes while driving.
Example: pedestrians walking on the sidewalk. How can we trust that he will not suddenly absentmindedly starts to cross the street? A van driver occupies almost unconsciously preparedness and relieves gas.
A car parked along the street: how can we know that not suddenly open the door? The experienced driver will probably take the turn a bit to round the parked car with a margin.
A street where there are hidden exits: which reduces a human driver at best speed to not be surprised if someone suddenly running or running out. It applies to the self-driving car also can identify these situations.
The car always shows the driver what is happening and how the planning run. Here we see that the car’s radar and cameras discovered the cars further ahead in the queue. Photo: Eric Lund
Another aspect is that the car must understand traffic culture. In some countries and cities tempo is low and forgiving, in other places it may require a little bit sharper elbows to keep up.
The car must understand traffic culture.
Anthropologists are hired to do research on these topics, and knowledge is converted into programming in the Autonomous körsystemen. Together with technologies are considering it, even if there should be a text display in which the environment can get messages from the car, for example, “I’m waiting,” or “Now I drive!”.
The test drive around the Tokyo Bay progresses as undramatic as it began. Prototype car can still only handle left turns (on the left), but all crossings and unexpected maneuvers from next to passing cars handled calmly.
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