Who will create a self-driving car next?
Get out of my dreams, get into my car. Well that’s exactly what Mercedes-Benz thought…or actually what Google thought. Someone dreamt about a self-driving car, and now we are seeing it slowly unfold. Now the German automobile manufacturer is taking a stab at it. Back in 2011, Google let the world know that they tested their version of a self-driving car on California highways, logging close to 200,000. Now Mercedes-Benz has their own version of a self-driving car.
Just this last month, Mercedes “drove” a modified 2014 S500 Sedan from Mannheim to Pforzheim. Their calling the car the Mercedes-Benz S500 Intelligent Drive. Modifications for this experimental ride were minor, with only a few minor changes pass the current technology in some vehicles. Mercedes added four short-rage radar systems, two cameras for front and back viewing and three long-range radar systems. Each component is designed to help the car make judgment calls on other vehicles on the road. Nokia even supplied the navigation information.
The navigation system provided by Nokia provides extensive data such as traffic signs, coordinates for traffic lights and direction of lanes on the road. However, one very important factor missing is the communication with other cars on the road. Surely you asked yourself that question: “How will the self-driving car interact safely with other drivers and cars. Well, this issue is being tackled now by Mercedes-Benz. Since this idea is still fresh, there are plenty of bugs to still work out before putting a self-driving car on the consumer market. Please keep in mind this is not park assist which is simply help with parallel parking, so all issues must be resolved before any of us will see these cars driving around our cities and towns. According to Audi, another German automobile maker, the technology will be complete within 10 years; however, Google believes self-driving cars will be available as early as 2017, which is only four years away.
So…is the world really ready for a self-driving car?