BETTER PARTSrapid robot
Ingolstadt, October 14, 2014
What do you think the theme of " autonomous driving cars "? To go creeping prototypes with huge equipment on the roof? At large trucks or the cute Google car? With such cliches Audi now wants to clean up radically. As part of the DTM season finale at Hockenheim is a special RS7 on October 17th and 19th hunt for a brisk round of the route. At full throttle, but without driver.
Radio and television
The 560-hp RS7 " piloted driving concept " is, according to Audi, a technology support, but largely corresponds to the series level. Are driven automated electro-mechanical power steering, the brakes, the throttle and the eight-speed automatic. For guidance on the slopes of the car uses specially corrected GPS signals. These so-called differential GPS data is transmitted into the car after the automotive standard and also via high frequency radio via WLAN. Parallel 3D camera images with onboard stored image information is adjusted in real time.
fast on the road
Now, one is inclined to say that on a specified route profile as that of the course in Hockenheim autonomous driving is not great art. But the special Audi RS7 is to drive a clean race line, including full throttle on the straight, precise steering into the curves and proper use of gas on corner exit. When braking forces are targeting 1.3 g, in the curves, the lateral acceleration of up to 1.1 g. Expected is a top of 240 km / h and a lap time of 2:10 minutes. By comparison, the DTM record for the nearly 4.6 kilometers is 1:34 minutes.
A little autonomous
Thus, if in future car races take place without a driver? As far as Audi goes even not, the autonomous RS7 will only test all systems at the physical limit. In the series as automatic fallback functions are developed in critical driving situations. Already on offer a "traffic jam pilot " who is driving the car from zero to 60 km / h is for many manufacturers, accelerated and decelerated. Of course, Audi is not the only manufacturer who experiments with self-driving cars. So Mercedes had sent in September 2013 S - Class without a driver from Mannheim to Pforzheim. Only a few weeks old is the Mercedes - study of an autonomous trucks that will be tested on the A14 near Magdeburg.
Google is attacking
Stir the Google - provided car, driving a small car with start / stop button and Navi screen, but without steering wheel and pedals. With about 100 of the more than 40 km / h cabins of the Internet giant wants to test the mobility in commuter traffic. Video cameras, laser and radar sensors to help you. Japanese manufacturers such as Toyota put in this area to car-to-car technology, so the understanding of the cars themselves. And why all the effort? Long term follow manufacturers two main objectives: firstly, more relaxed driving in urban areas ( as large cities in China or megacities in the world) and relief pilot (keyword trucks ). Secondly, the reduction in the number of fatalities by eliminating the weak point man.
Questions and more questions
That was exactly what Federal Transport Minister Dobrindt in mind. By 2021, the number of road deaths is to be reduced by 40 percent. Previously, the Ministry has set up a round table with all stakeholders. Finally, many questions need to be clarified, such as the date in the " Vienna Convention " of 1968 enshrined legal situation which is formulated in vague: " a driver must always and in every situation have control of his vehicle ." Or the idea of who is liable in an accident without a driver. And who owns the technical data necessary anyway? By the end of 2014 the first results are expected . ( rh )