Automotive News Europe - March 2013 - 21

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE

SUPPLIERS

Continental tests its technology in a self-driving vehicle.

Motorist is weak link
in self-driving cars
DAVID SEDGWICK
autonewseurope@crain.com

HICAGO -- At least half a dozen
automakers are developing systems
in which computers drive cars in stopand-start traffic without drivers’ help. In
early demonstrations, the systems work
well. But they have the same weak spot:
the motorist. The tricky part comes
when the computer returns control of
the vehicle to the motorist. This happens when traffic starts to speed up, for
instance, or the road’s lane markings,
which the vehicle monitors to guide
itself, are covered with snow.
Automakers have experimented with
driver notifications such as buzzers, vibrating seats and visual warnings on the
navigator screen. But what if the driver
is distracted, reckless, sleepy, upset,
texting – or even drunk? “That is the
biggest challenge with these systems –
to make sure that the motorist doesn’t
misuse it,” said Christian Schumacher,
chief of Continental’s North American
advanced driver assistance systems, at
a press event here.

MARCH 2013

Autonomous vehicles, which can accelerate, brake and steer themselves with
the aid of radar and infrared cameras,
offer motorists the prospect of a safe,
stress-free commute. Traffic jam assist systems, which guide vehicles on
well-marked highways at speeds up to
40kph or so, are the next logical step.
Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW, General
Motors, Ford and Volvo have previewed
such systems, while suppliers such
as Continental develop the sensors
and software.

Inattentive motorists
At the Chicago auto show, Continental
unveiled Driver Focus, a monitoring
system that ensures the motorist is not
distracted. An infrared camera mounted behind the steering wheel monitors the driver’s eyes. If the driver’s
attention wanders at a bad time – say,
when a truck ahead suddenly brakes
– the system warns the driver. Such a
system could be used during normal
driving, or in conjunction with autonomous driving in slow traffic, such as
traffic jam assist.

Mercedes parent Daimler has demonstrated an alternative for its Traffic Jam
Assistant, which operates at speeds
up to 40kph. The system requires the
motorist to keep hands on the wheel –
even when the computer is doing the
driving. If traffic starts moving faster
than 40kph, the computer gradually
disengages from steering and lets the
motorist take over.
GM showed a different approach during a demonstration of Super Cruise,
GM’s version of traffic jam assist. On a
small display screen mounted behind
the steering wheel, a green LED light
indicated that the system was on, while
a red light indicated it was off. GM has
said it plans to introduce Super Cruise
sometime after 2014 – most likely in
a Cadillac – but GM spokesman Dan
Flores says the company is still studying
the computer-to-driver transition. “The
car can’t drive itself all the time,” Flores
said, “and the driver must re-engage
when notified. When Super Cruise is
on the road, we certainly won’t suggest
that the driver can fall asleep or fail to
pay attention.”

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Automotive News Europe - March 2013

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