For some it's the wave of the future, for others a nightmare come true. Volkswagen calls it the “temporary auto pilot” - a car that can drive semi-automatically at up to 130km/h on freeways.
It's a crucial link between today's electronic driver aids and the vision of a fully autonomous car, the end result of a three-year EU project called HAVEit (Highly Automated Vehicles for Intelligent Transport) aimed at reducing drivers' workload.
Volkswagen director of research Professor Jurgen Leohold said: “What we have achieved today is an important milestone on the path towards accident-free driving.”
His temporary auto pilot bundles semi-automatic functions - functions monitored by the driver - with electronic driver aids such adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping into one comprehensive function.
But Leohold insisted: “Nonetheless, the driver always retains driving responsibility and is always in control. The driver can override or deactivate the system at any time and must continually monitor it.”
The system is intended to prevent accidents due to driving errors by an inattentive, distracted driver. In the semi-automatic driving mode - referred to as “pilot mode” - it maintains a safe distance to the vehicle ahead, drives at a speed selected by the driver, reduces this speed as necessary before a bend, and maintains the vehicle's central position between the lane markings.
Stop-start driving in heavy traffic is automated, and the system can recognise and observe overtaking rules and speed limits, at up to 130km/h on freeways but (and this is a big but) the driver still has to concentrate on the road, so he can intervene in safety-critical situations at any time.
Unlike previous, completely autonomous research vehicles such as “Junior” and “Stanley”, VW's temporary auto pilot is based on commercially available hardware such as radar, camera, and ultrasonic-based sensors, with a laser scanner and an electronic horizon.
Leohold pointed out: “One conceivable scenario for its initial use might be in monotonous driving situations, such as in traffic jams or over sections of a commute that are exceedingly speed-limited.”