Piloted Audi RS7 Takes on Hockenheim at Racing Speed
By Mike Garcia
Audi has advanced their technology ahead of their competitors in regards to self-driving cars. This demonstration was proof of how far they came. An unmanned Audi RS7 with 560bhp took the track in Germany.
"It took the Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept just slightly over two minutes to complete a lap on the Grand Prix track in Hockenheim – piloted with high precision and accuracy to within centimeters.“The top performance by the Audi RS 7 today substantiates the skills of our development team with regard to piloted driving at Audi,” said Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member for Technical Development at AUDI AG. “The derivations from series production, particularly in terms of precision and performance, are of great value for our further development steps.”"
They further explained how the car essentially, drove itself.
"For orientation on the track, the technology pioneer uses specially corrected GPS signals. This GPS data is transmitted to the vehicle via WiFi according to the automotive standard and redundantly via high-frequency radio. In parallel to this, 3D cameras in the car film the track, and a computer program compares the cameras’ image information against a data set stored on board. This is what makes it possible for the technology pioneer to orient itself on the track within centimeters.These systems’ highest level of development can be experienced in the updated Audi A6* and Audi A7 Sportback* model series. The offerings include Audi side assist, Audi active lane assist, and adaptive cruise control with Stop&Go function including Audi pre sense front.[via Audi. 2014. Proof Positive: Audi RS7 Piloted Concept Taken to the Limit with No Driver, Oct 20th. [Press Release] Retrieved from http://www.newspressusa.com/public/ViewPressRelease.aspx?pr=43229&pr_ref=4467]"
While driving enthusiasm includes the experience of driving an open road, taking an automated car through traffic sounds like an ideal way to deal with tedious, stressful driving.
Once the technology is perfected and trickles down the model line, it won’t be long until the technology becomes the norm, just like airbags, anti-lock brakes, and navigation systems.
We can’t wait to see this happen.