The car makes the decisions
Cars have shown that they can drive autonomously. But the introduction of the car without a driver is not that simple: Who is responsible in case of an accident? And do people want the car to make decisions for them?
Driving from Silicon Valley to Las Vegas
This Audi A7 is packed with sensors. In early 2015 it drove all the way from Silicon Valley to the CES trade fair in Las Vegas. About 600 miles on the highway. Somebody's sitting behind the steering wheel - just in case. All went well during this trial.
Comfy - isn't it?
This prototype of Mercedes Benz - the F015 - shows how an autonomous car could look like: There is no driver's seat anymore. Instead the passengers are facing each other. This test vehicle, which was also developed in Silicon Valley, can achieve a maximum speed of 125 mph.
Ready for real traffic?
Google has been testing its robotic vehicles in Mountain View for a long time. But until now somebody has always been behind the wheel to intervene if necessary.
Not for impatient people
Autonomous cars are very safe. They are programmed to slow down if something isn't right. They will always keep a safe distance and certainly never tailgate others.
One follows the other
These two autonomous cars of the University of the Bundeswehr (German army) in Munich compete in a "mule scenario." The second car always follows the first. At the military robotic competition ELROB they have to find their way in unpaved rugged territory - and they succeed.
Avoiding car crashes
Major accidents are frequently caused by limited vision, for instance in foggy conditions. People drive too fast and fail to keep the necessary distance. Intelligent robotic cars would not make such mistakes. In the future cars could be interconnected allowing them to send information on upcoming traffic jams to the cars behind.
Sensors for all kinds of data
Robotic cars see the world around them with different eyes: The Google car uses a laser-sensor for a 3D scan of its surroundings.
The world through the eyes of a laser scanner
The car from the University of the Bundeswehr is driving through rugged terrain. The laser scans the surroundings and the computer designs a three-dimensional map.
Orientation by satellite, radar and optical eye
Robots can also see with other sensors. This one at the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication and Information FKIE uses a regular USB-camera for its optical vision. Small radar sensors and GPS receivers determine the precise location on the map.
Cars with a vision - Made in Germany
Researchers at Daimler are also using optical cameras to build safer cars. The sensors behind the windshield observe what is happening on the road. Daimler's active traffic safety systems earned the company a nomination for Germany's Invention Award (Deutscher Zukunftspreis) in 2011.
Pixels become movements
The sensors recognize a pixel cloud. The computer can determine how fast different sections of the picture are moving from the pixels. This gives the computer a complete impression of what is going on around the car.
To break or to drive around
The computer determines where the object is likely to move and will act accordingly: The pedestrian, coming from the right, is marked orange - danger. The traffic on the left is green - no danger.