The automobile has been with us for well over a century and while road laws, traffic management and automotive technology in general have constantly evolved during that time, the act of driving remains essentially the same - it's all up to the person behind the wheel. That's what makes the SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment) project so significant - it represents the beginning of a new era where the organized chaos of individual drivers can be blunted by an autonomous "follow-the-leader" approach that has clear benefits for road safety, congestion and vehicle fuel consumption ... not to mention being a bonus for those of us who would rather read the paper than concentrate in the road ahead. As demonstrated by a platoon of Volvos driving automatically along a public motorway outside Barcelona recently, this reality may be closer than you think.
Part-funded by the European Commission, SARTRE is a joint venture between Ricardo UK Ltd, Applus Idiada, Robotiker, Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge Aachen (IKA), SP Technical Research Institute, Volvo Technology and Volvo Car Corporation. It works by using a high-tech suite of cameras, radar and laser sensors to enable a wirelessly linked "platoon" of cars to travel autonomously in a road train behind a lead vehicle operated by a professional driver.
The project started in 2009 and the technology was successfully demonstrated at the Volvo Proving Ground near Gothenburg, Sweden, back in 2010. In the latest milestone, the SARTRE platoon took to the motorways of Spain amidst other road users in a journey that saw a Volvo XC60, a Volvo V60, a Volvo S60 and one truck drive automatically behind the lead vehicle at 85 km/h (53 mph) separated by a distance of as little as five meters (16.4 feet). Using Ricardo's autonomous control system, each of the vehicles was able to accelerate, brake and turn in exactly the same fashion as the lead vehicle.
"People think that autonomous driving is science fiction, but the fact is that the technology is already here," says Linda Wahlström, project manager for the SARTRE project at Volvo Car Corporation.
"We covered 200 kilometres in one day and tried out gaps [between vehicles] from five to 15 meters. From the purely conceptual viewpoint it works fine, and the road train will be around in one form or another in the future."
As well as freeing up the driver from the hassle of actually controlling the vehicle, the project promises benefits in terms of safety, congestion (meaning faster travel times) and fuel consumption, which could be reduced by as much as 20 percent on the highway.
The system is also designed to be retrofitted to vehicles currently in production.
"We've focused really hard on changing as little as possible in existing systems," says Wahlström. "Everything should function without any infrastructure changes to the roads or expensive additional components in the cars. Apart from the software developed as part of the project, it is really only the wireless network installed between the cars that sets them apart from other cars available in showrooms today."
Volvo says that the next phase of the project will focus on analysis of fuel consumption. The aim is also to develop strategies and business models for real world use of the technology (we predict a rise in mobile coffee machine sales).
Imagine any transport company who can replace half a dozen drivers with just one, who can then drive across large open cross country journeys at a fraction of the cost (driver and fuel efficient in all one go!). Once you arrive at a city based destination, have local drivers who can do the last leg of smaller localised deliveries.
So business will drive this forward far quicker than us 'punters'
Five minutes spent looking at YouTube car accidents should be sufficient to convince anyone that there are so many weird crash scenarios that no amount of prevention measures can eliminate completely it will be impossible to dispose of the need for a driver unless the car can be made to run on rails of some kind. The first accident that could remotely be blamed on the system will be and there it will cease.
Cars can be made a lot easier to drive and thus a lot safer, demanding far less driver skills than is currently the case. Some of us are competent drivers, some are simply incapable of being competent drivers (take my third wife - please!). If we can reduce the level of competence required, then car use will be open to more and safer for all.
The technology exists to make it impossible to go faster than the safe speed for the location and conditions, such as fog, or exceed 5 mph in a supermarket carpark with children on the loose; never run a red light except when safe to do so such as when all the traffic has slowed due to an accident or emergency, say; never pull out into oncoming traffic, or exit from a side road onto a main road unless it is safe to do so; etc. etc.
It might be possible to automate a lot of the driver functions when on a motorway, but never to the point where the driver does not have responsibility for maintaining the set speed and correct lane position. The biggest problem then will be falling asleep at the wheel. As for reading a newspaper, no way!
Most countries have things to hit, other than kangaroos...
Deer are just as "Unpredictable" to the Driver who isn't looking for them...
I agree with comment (Martin) Trust the computer more than trust the Driver who may as well be asleep... (Long boring drives lulls most people into idiocy.)
I've even conjectured about personal automobiles that could ride the rails with headway clearance systems to maintain a safe distance. The rails these days are very smooth and don't go clickety-clack. Just lean back and enjoy the scenery while it lasts. It wouldn't take long for billboards to spring up to hide the scenery.
Of course there could be problems if a car broke down or ran out of gas. You would need a quick "ejection system" to put the car off to the side and out of the way. What a nightmare this could turn into. Miles from anything, a carload of kids etc.
Mr E
Self-driving cars make private transport obsolete. The logical next step is a dial-a-ride automated taxi. That, or (whisper it) ... an effective public transport service?