Jaguar – Land Rover (JLR) is investing a substantial amount of money to ensure its upcoming autonomous cars drive like human beings, not like robots.
The first phase of the project — which is led by Bosch — is already under way. A fleet of JLR vehicles equipped with an array of sensors is being driven daily by motorists who work for the city of Greenwich in England. The sensors record information such as how human drivers react to certain circumstances including giving the right of way at a stop sign, entering a roundabout, and dealing with emergency situations.
JLR will use the data gathered by the program to fine-tune its upcoming autonomous technology.
“Customers are much more likely to accept highly-automated and fully autonomous vehicles if the car reacts in the same way as the driver. By understanding and measuring positive driving behaviors we can ensure that an autonomous Jaguar or Land Rover of the future will not simply perform a robotic function,” explained Dr. Wolfgang Epple, the director of JLR’s research and technology department, in a statement.
Interestingly, the data will also be given to insurance companies and taken into account as they put together the first insurance policies for self-driving cars.
JLR hasn’t revealed when its autonomous technology will be ready to hit the market, or what model it will be inaugurated by.
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