Category Archives: autonomous vehicles

Video: BMW takes its autonomous 5 Series onto the autobahn

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Filed under: Safety , Technology , BMW Last May we went for a high-speed run around Laguna Seca in BMW’s Track Trainer , a modified 3 Series that can click of two-minute laps without the driver touching the controls. Now, BMW has packed a 5 Series with the next iteration of the technology and taken it on to the open road. This latest ConnectedDrive experiment uses much of the same tech, but beyond the radar and camera systems on the 3er, it includes new ultrasonic scanners and lasers to re-read the road surface, lines and surrounding vehicles. We say “re-read” because like the system we sampled at Laguna, this version needs to have the road data downloaded into the car before it can drive sans human intervention

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Video: BMW takes its autonomous 5 Series onto the autobahn

Video: SARTRE autonomous road-train enters final phase with trio of Volvos [w/video]

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Filed under: Safety , Technology , Volvo This time last year, the Safe Road Trains for the Environment ( SARTRE ) program hit a milestone. Using a specially equipped Volvo S60 with a big-rig taking the lead, the EU-funded researchers managed to create the world’s first fully-functional road train , allowing the driver in the sedan to sit back and enjoy the ride without touching the controls. Today, Volvo – the program’s only automotive partner – has announced that the SARTRE program is in its final phase of testing, and that includes adding a few more vehicles to the rolling procession of autonomous cars.

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Video: SARTRE autonomous road-train enters final phase with trio of Volvos [w/video]

Video: Google’s Eric Schmidt: Our autonomous cars drive better than you… when you’re drunk

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Filed under: Safety , Technology , Videos Google co-founder Larry Page sat down with the Internet giant’s former CEO, Eric Schmidt, for a Q&A session during this week’s Zeitgeist 2011 event, and when the topic of increasing processor speed came from an audience member, Schmidt went into the infinite possibilities afforded “when you have all the computing power and all the telemetry and everything going on in the world in real time.” Not surprisingly, Page made the leap right to autonomous cars . “The automated car stuff is a good example of this possibility,” Page told the assembled masses. “It seemed pretty practical.

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Video: Google’s Eric Schmidt: Our autonomous cars drive better than you… when you’re drunk

Official: BMW begins testing autonomous car tech on highways

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Filed under: Technology , BMW Automakers are always looking to push the boundaries with experimental technology, but BMW seems to be ahead of the curve with respect to autonomous vehicles. Previously, BMW was sticking to closed circuits to show off its TrackTrainer . Now, however, the German automaker is venturing out on to public roads, and it’s doing so with an automated 5 Series fitted with advanced ConnectedDrive technology. The system is enabled with a push of a button, once a driver has reached a highway

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Official: BMW begins testing autonomous car tech on highways

Report: DOT to run tests to see if drivers freak out when their car takes over

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Filed under: Etc. , Technology Automobiles are getting smarter, and it’s possible that cars may be able to handle most of the driving duties in the not-too-distant future. Are motorists ready to enter that reality?

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Report: DOT to run tests to see if drivers freak out when their car takes over

Report: Nevada passes law governing the use of autonomous vehicles

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Filed under: Government/Legal , Technology Audi Autonomous TTS Pikes Peak – Click above for high-res image gallery When we think of the future of motor vehicles, we’re (mostly) excited about what’s coming next. We’re a bit less than thrilled about the prospect of vehicles that can drive themselves, but the state of Nevada seems all too ready to welcome the autonomous vehicle. The Huffington Post reports that Nevada has passed a law that will allow autonomous vehicles on its roads as early as March 1, 2012. The new law simply directs the Department of Motor Vehicles to come up with regulations authorizing the use of autonomous vehicles on the highways within the state.

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Report: Nevada passes law governing the use of autonomous vehicles