In our experience with driverless cars, most systems work
well in perfect conditions -- i.e., smooth and perfectly maintained roads in
warm, sunny climates. Things get dicey when road markings are hidden underneath
snow or heavy rain makes the distance to the car in front difficult to
determine. If you’re going off-road, autonomous driving hasn't even been an
option, but now Land
Rover is testing a fleet of autonomous off-road test vehicles.
That’s right, Land Rover is working on semi-autonomous and
fully autonomous systems that can tackle the tough terrain you find off-road.
The system combines audio, video, radar, light-detection and distance-sensing
data to find the best path to travel. According to Land Rover, the system will
be totally capable in any weather conditions, including ice, snow, rain and
fog.
Of course, don’t think that you’ll be able to run out to a
Land Rover dealer next week and hop in the latest Discovery on
the lot expecting it to have this tech. It’ll be awhile before these features
see real-world duty, since they're still in development.
This project is part of a 30-month collaborative endeavor
with the University
of Birmingham that only started in March of this year -- so we’re
still a few years away. Until then, you can still take your Land Rover
off-road, but you’ll be responsible for not getting it stuck.
source; http://autoweek.com/article/autonomous-cars/land-rover-working-road-autonomous-driving
by Wesley Wren
http://www.boscheuropean.com
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