Autonomous Volvo vehicles have already begun testing, but the company aims to significantly expand the program and invite the public to come along for the ride. A fleet of at least 100 cars will be autonomously operating on select roads in Volvo’s home city by 2017.
The automaker is continuing to develop its sensor systems, combining multiple radar and sonar systems, trifocal cameras and multi-beam laser scanners to determine exact positioning and a complete view of the vehicle’s surroundings.
The technology is claimed to be capable of spotting pedestrians that run in front of the vehicle, along with other unexpected road hazards, but Volvo warns that human drivers will still be required to take over in certain weather conditions or when the vehicle is off its known route.
In most situations, Volvo suggests the computer will be faster than a human driver in reaction speed. Creating redundant systems has taken a higher priority to prevent accidents due to technical glitches, as the system cannot assume that a driver is ready to suddenly intervene in a critical situation.
“Here, we have a similar approach to that of the aircraft industry,” says Volvo technical specialist Erik Coelingh. “Our fail-operational architecture includes backup systems that will ensure that Autopilot will continue to function safely also if an element of the system were to become disabled.”
The company has not yet outlined an expected time-frame for a full-scale launch of its autonomous technology.
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