Toyota’s Advanced Active Safety Research Vehicle. I look forward to computer controlled autos. Mostly to avoid traffic jams (via Toyota)
Anyone who’s watched I, Robot (Will Smith version) can recall the car chase scene with an Audi that’s capable of driving itself and avoiding collisions. While that fictitious car was featured in a science fiction film, there have been several successful autonomous vehicles that are capable of the same feat, although they are not mass-produced. According to a recent press release from Toyota Motor Corporation, the company plans to introduce their advanced driving technology to consumers in only two years. Known as the Automated Highway Driving Assist (AHDA), the technology uses a series of sensors that allow the vehicle to take control and avoid collisions. The system actively looks for vehicles and other obstacles in the car’s path, and if dangerous conditions are detected, the car swings into action by taking control of the vehicle’s brakes and steering to avoid the obstacle.
The system does give the driver a chance to react before it is initiated, at which point it brings up a visible notice on a display as well as sounding an alarm. AHDA is actually comprised of two separate technologies, with one known as Cooperative-adaptive Cruise Control, which communicates wirelessly with the surrounding vehicles in order to maintain a safe distance from each other. The second piece of technology uses Toyota’s Lane Trace Control system, which uses millimeter wave radar along with HD cameras to aid in steering control to keep the vehicle in its driving lane. Toyota has already fielded the technology on a limited scope with test vehicles driving on Tokyo’s Shuto Expressway and is set to expand sometime in the next few years.
C
See more news at:
Top Comments