Hidden beneath the panels of an ordinary-looking family car lies enough technology to eliminate the major cause of road accidents: the driver.
The unassuming black VW Passat parked in London’s Science Museum looks like it has been abandoned by a disgruntled motorist. But the big red button on the rear passenger door and a discreet beermat-size disc on the roof offer clues about the future of motoring.
Christened Lux by its German designers, the car is on display before heading to the United States for its ultimate test — a 100km race for dozens of driverless cars through an urban environment. The winner will be the first to complete the course without crashing, veering off course or riding up the kerb while parallel parking.
The race has been organised by the Pentagon’s blue skies research wing, the Defence Advanced Research projects Agency, which is interested in autonomous vehicles as a way of ferrying supplies to frontline troops. It opened the contest to all comers, with a $2-million prize.
The systems being developed, including laser-ranging ‘eyes†and decision-making software, are expected to trickle into prestige cars in coming years. Engineers expect the technology to introduce collision avoidance systems and reduce embarrassment by parking automatically at the push of a button.
The Lux has twin laser scanners mounted behind panels beneath the headlights to scan the road up to 200m ahead. The images they produce are continuously processed to locate the roadside and spot pedestrians, junctions and other vehicles. A second scanner maps the terrain behind the car.
Decisions are made by a computer chip connected to servos, which operate the accelerator, brake, gearstick and steering wheel, making it seem as if a ghost driver is at the wheel. Volker Willhoeft, technical leader of Team Lux, says the computer’s reaction time is less than 100 milliseconds.
Trials of the car at an army barracks and Lufthansa airfield near Hamburg have put it through its paces at 25kph. For the November race, it will have to reach speeds of 50kph. Before the race, the car will be programmed with a basic map of the area and places it must visit. It will then negotiate the route without human interference. Tracker cars will follow in case the vehicles do a bender.
‘The toughest part will be navigating in traffic. The car has to handle junctions when other vehicles have right of way, and must cope if other drivers break the rules of the road,†said Willhoeft. ‘I’m sure we’ll win; we’ve got the coolest car. But even if we get the $2-million, we won’t make much money.†—