piloted driving
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Riding in Audi's 150MPH self-driving RS 7, the anti-Google car
Until last week, the sum of my autonomous driving experience was sitting behind the wheel while a car parked itself, and the sum of my track experience involved squeezing my lanky frame into a comically small go-kart. Audi changed that recently, giving me the opportunity to sit in its self-driving RS 7 Concept while it traversed the Ascari racetrack in southern Spain. It's the same car that recently broke the autonomous speed record in Germany, hitting 240KPH (149MPH) at the Hockenheimring. Rather than aiming to improve on its record, Audi is at Ascari to test its "piloted driving" system against the circuit's more-challenging corners. It's also there to see how people react to being driven, at speed, around the track.
Aaron Souppouris12.18.2014
Audi shows off 'Piloted Driving' (video)
Audi's booth was visually the most arresting we've seen this year because it was both packed to overflowing with people and beautiful shiny things and because the floor, ceiling and walls were really brightly lit. In one wing Audi had set up a car cockpit in front of a few massive displays to simulate toodling down Las Vegas Boulevard in a self-driving car equipped with its Piloted Driving system. In bumper-to-bumper conditions at speeds up to 60 km/h (37.28 MPH), flicking a switch on the steering wheel disconnects you from the steering and pedals and frees up the in-car entertainment and telephone for your amusement. The car will maintain distance to the vehicles ahead and nearby using its own proprietary LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) laser that it will eventually mount in the car's grille -- rather than the traditional roof mount -- and a monocular camera to keep it within the safety of the white lines. Nevada being, well, home to Las Vegas has given thumbs up to this type of research so long as you follow the Nevada DMV guidelines and have the red plate that marks your car as an autonomous vehicle. Check out the following -- very safe and stationary -- walkthrough video after the fold.
Sean Cooper01.10.2013