BETTER PARTSA date with Jack and Robby
Neuburg an der Donau, 19 October 2016
It sounds like a scenario from a distant future: morning drive on the motorway in the direction of your work place. Then press the two buttons on the steering wheel, this leaves as if by magic you and your car will take you now independently through the rush hour. To be turned off? I've seen exactly that. In an Audi, which is expected to at the earliest in ten years in series.
Stuffed testbed
When you think of experiments with autonomous vehicles, would you recommend a normal public highway as a test box? Probably not. But that's just making Audi with the "A7" piloted driving concept. Internal nickname for the prototype "Jack" is crammed with computers, controllers and cables. The trunk is almost unusable, the luggage compartment is so full. But don't worry: up to the start of production in at least a decade the hardware for the highway pilot should have the size of a normal controller.
Directly from the future
Well, then let's. At first glance, "Jack" is a regular Audi A7: steering wheel, pedals, shifters, all there. Only at second glance, the differences are clear. So, an LED Strip is attached, for example, at the bottom of the windshield that informs the driver about the condition of the vehicle. Yellow means that the autonomous mode is not enabled. Green, in turn, that the autopilot has taken over the vehicle. It is to be achieved, press two buttons on the steering wheel. Then drive valance close to the center console and the driver can relax.
Confidence comes quickly
That's just a thing with relaxation. "Jack" finally entirely independently moves in the flowing traffic on the A9 motorway between Nuremberg and Munich. There's not an easy task trucks, medium gauge Schleicher and full throttle - insurance agent in the two-litre TDI. In the first few minutes I still catch myself as I monitor the lane change decisions by "Jack" with shoulder and mirror look. But and that even I'm surprised find confidence in the matter very quickly. The manned A7 behaves so of course in the "Habitat Highway", that feeling good is set within a few minutes. He keeps a reasonable distance, flashes, approaching the road markings and gives a sure again.
State of the art technology
The actions are calculated by "Jack" from data of multiple laser and radar scanners, which are mounted in and on the A7. Everything with power and double bottom, finally, the system must also work if a sensor fails or is covered in the winter with slush. Then the car should leave enough time the driver to adapt again to self driving and to take over the control. Also, they are navigation data integrated in autonomous mode, so that 'Jack' also know where it should go.
Delivered on the track
A swap is the really exciting in the end test drive on the A9: from 'Jack' it goes to "Robby" and from the motorway on the race track. Less traffic, for higher speeds. On the Audi circuit in New Castle "Robby" is more or less at home. He is not "just" an A7, but just this time I take the extremely strong RS 7-version with 650 HP. only in the passenger seat place, left of me an Audi engineer. Frankly that's also prefer that because "Robby" sprinting as become wild from the starting line off, races to the first curve and I pray that the systems really work. Do. "Robby" is programmed to the ideal line and serves as a testing vehicle dynamics, different driving conditions and reactions to under - and oversteer. Everything works like clockwork. Round by round hitting all brake-, Einlenk-, and vertices to the millimetre. It compensates for the slightly slippery track with impressive counter-steering. Me as a racer but feel a small little in my existence am threatened, but at the same time fascinated.
Fascinating look at the future
At the end of the day, I can only say that the future of autonomous is damn exciting. What has impressed me the most? The systems already appear as mature. Reminder: Audi speaks of a series launch in a decade at the earliest. Then manned driving could be a really good alternative indeed to short-haul flights or train travel without watching engineer in the passenger seat. (mf)