Leading British car manufacturers, Jaguar Land Rover, are introducing innovative technologies that will allow autonomous cars to drive themselves over virtually any surface or terrain.
The company's multi-million dollar autonomous all-terrain driving research project aims to make the self-driving car viable in the widest range of real life, on- and off-road driving environments and weather conditions.
While some Kiwis may be apprehensive of the reality of cars driving themselves, Jaguar Land Rover's New Zealand general manager, Steve Kenchington, believes that the technology will ultimately be suited to our motoring conditions.
"Jaguar Land Rover's vision is to offer autonomous driving on any terrain" says Kenchington.
Jaguar Land Rover's Head of Research, Tony Harper, says the technology being developed will give cars the ability to sense changes in terrain. In turn, this ability will be useful to both autonomous and people-driven cars.
The technology being developed combines camera, ultrasonic, radar and LIDAR sensors to give the car a 360 degree view of the world around it. In addition, the new technology will give the cars the ability to communicate with each other, especially if they are out of sight around a bend or on the other side of an off-road obstacle.
The new additions will not only change the safety features of self driven cars, but will change the way Kiwis are able to move about the different terrain from city to city.
Source: https://netguide.co.nz/story/autonomous-driving-any-terrain-now-step-closer/
