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Autonomous vehicle technology could usher in a revolution in mass transit and trucking.
Chinese manufacturer Yutong announced that its autonomous bus handled 26 traffic signals, several lane changes and at least one passing maneuver during a 20-mile drive between Zhengzhou and Kaifeng. Yutong hasn’t revealed much its technology, but says the bus uses laser, radar, and camera systems on each side of the vehicle.
Recently, a Mercedes-Benz Actros big-rig equipped with Daimler’s "highway pilot" system made the 15-mile run from Denkendorf to Stuttgart, Germany, on highway A8, staying within its lane and maintaining a safe following distance. Daimler has an autopilot system with a stereoscopic camera to read lane lines and short- and long-range radar to scan the road
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for obstacles up to 800 feet ahead. The truck made its debut on public roads in Nevada in May.
As impressive as these tests are, they pale compared to what more advanced prototypes can do. Google’s cars have racked up more than 1 million miles on public roads using technology so sophisticated it can, for example, recognize a cyclist’s hand signals. Audi’s prototype A7 drove 500 miles without any input from the human at the wheel.
But the news from Daimler and Yutong highlights the potentially momentous role this technology could play in the commercial and transit sectors.
For more of the Wired story: www.wired.com
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