Volvo Promises Autonomous Tech by 2014

BY DAMON LAVRINC
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2012/10/volvo-autonomous/

Volvo, the Swedish automaker known for advanced safety, is taking a big bet on autonomous vehicle technology, saying its next generation of products will be able to drive themselves in low-speed traffic.

By 2014, Volvo plans to introduce a new system dubbed Traffic Jam Assistance that will allow the vehicle to be piloted autonomously at speeds up to 30 MPH.

At the flick of a switch, the vehicle will be able to steer, brake and accelerate in slow-moving traffic, using a combination of cameras that detect the lines on the road and the vehicle ahead, along with a brace of sensors to keep a safe distance from other road users.

This latest breed of technology has been born out of Volvo’s SARTRE road-train testing program, which allows a densely packed group of vehicles to follow a manned tractor trailer at highway speeds. But that implementation is still several years away, and Volvo is trying to get the technology into vehicles as quickly as possible. And Volvo isn’t alone.

Audi and Volkswagen, along with BMW, Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz, are all planning to offer similar low-speed autonomous driving functionality in the next two years. BMW’s system will debut on the i3 electric vehicle in 2013, while Cadillac plans to incorporate its “Super Cruise” system into its next flagship, and Mercedes-Benz is slated to introduce its own solution on its range-topping S-Class. All the systems are aimed at allowing drivers to take a break in start-and-stop traffic, although each automaker is taking a different tack when it comes to how it will allow drivers to cede control.

In the case of Mercedes, its current traffic jam assistance implementation will only be engaged when the driver keeps his hands on the wheel, while other systems will allow drivers to be completely hands-off – up to a relatively low speed.


Image: Volvo
Volvo is taking the integration one step further, signing into an agreement with the European CAR 2 CAR Communication Consortium which plans to have a widespread V2V infrastructure in place within the next five years. That will include traffic lights that talk to vehicles, emergency-vehicle warning systems, road work advisories, weather notices, and the ability for vehicles to read road signage.

It’s a big step towards the realization of a fully autonomous vehicle, but it isn’t without its safety and legislative concerns.

Volvo is concerned that the U.S.’s state-by-state approach for regulating autonomous vehicles could create a legal melange with no overarching set of rules for automakers to abide by.

Peter Mertens, senior VP of Research and Development at Volvo, said, “It is important that the U.S. Government underlines that regulation of motor vehicle safety systems and components is their jurisdiction.”