Volvo. The Future of Driving .

[csv8]

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.

Utilizing a combination of cameras and radar-based sensors, the vehicles in the platoon can travel up to 55 miles per hour while maintaining a 20-foot gap between each other. An electronics-packed truck takes the lead and handles driving for all the vehicles in the group, meaning there's still at least one driver in control.

By the end of this year, the SARTRE team hopes to have up to six vehicles rolling in line, with the potential to reduce fuel consumption, congestion and – naturally – driver error in the future. So when's it coming to market? That's up to automakers, governments and the rest of us to decide, so we're still quite a ways out. Make the jump for more details and to see the system in action.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/24/s...ncid=webmail10

[Kryton]

When is it coming?
Never in this country.

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by davway

When is it coming?
Never in this country.

Actually last year was reading a trucking magazine and a company in NSW is planning a trial of these sorts of driverless trucks from a major harbour to their distribution center. The trucks are all B-doubles.

[falconnut]

Our road infrastructure is too dated for it to ever happen here.

And the state of NSW roads is rediculous

[DJM83]

Who would get the speeding fine
Love the tech though.

[Bossxr8]

Surely there are just too many variables for autonomous cars to ever be 100% safe. Especially with the amount of idiots on the road who have no clue how to drive.

And then factor in what nature can throw at you, and then take into account possible electrical faults over time. Its a huge task.

[dkpioe]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Surely there are just too many variables for autonomous cars to ever be 100% safe. Especially with the amount of idiots on the road who have no clue how to drive.

will never work with "aussie drivers"

like the driver of a aussie car i wont name that the other day did this. - driving on reid hwy in perth, its often 2 lane, 1 in each direction. then as the lights come up it forms two lanes in each direction for a few hundred meters. a lot of twerps use these small sections as a racing track. so, i stuck to the left, and about 100m after the lights the lane merges again to 1 lane in each direction - well this idiot overtook me, (and about 5 other cars directly behind me) in about 400m and nearly collided with me at the merge lane point - he just had to be ahead! :P lol - was my thought - and he had to stamp on the brake to avoid the car in front of me who was doing the speed limit. i noticed he did the same thing at the next 3 or 4 lights, speeding up to 130kmh or so in a 90 zone each time, overtake 2 or 3 cars each time. by the last set of lights where he was turning off. i was right next to him again. so all the time he made up being a ******** was lost and now must have felt like a goose seeing me again, after overtaking me like ayrton senna 10 km earlier, so now he had to keep up this idiot mojo he had built up over 15km, and took off from the lights as fast as he could to outdo me and others (big brave idiot, he just chewed about a dollar extra of fuel, and will need his car serviced sooner then me i thought to myself). this kind of driving behaviour i experience every day with aussie car drivers, especially ford and holden drivers (and espcially ones with bogan symbals like "SKIN" tatooed over the back window) and is the reason we have speed cameras, because aussie drivers are idiots. IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPEEDING - dont come and cry in car forums that the police hate us etc, its the fault of idiots in this aussie driving community, and it is a voluntary tax to pay if you speed.

in reply to the thread topic, the real future of driving in australia is speed cameras, because governments have noticed that it is a free tax they can get from the idiot community! the only way we can fight back is drive within the rules. BUT NOOOOO... that is not our culture, we are a culture of rule haters.

honestly, lets look at ourselves, most aussies i know hate cops and hate government - and that seems to make them break more laws. we have lost respect in this free country. we are turning into americans - wanting bigger and better, and wanting to drive more powerful cars, and wanting to drive faster, we are arrogant, we hate other drivers on the road and show no respect for them - we drag them from the traffic lines, we cut them off, we accelerate past them thinking we are "in the lead" and then when we get caught, we slag the system which gives us the freedoms we are blessed with!

volvo will not save "the aussie idiot"

[Buntz]

Originally Posted by csv8

with the potential to reduce fuel consumption, congestion and – naturally – driver error in the future.

Having worked in the I.T. Industry... I'm more worried about program error than myself.

[Riksta]

A blue screen of death could actually result in a death. Not 100% keen on the idea myself at this stage, but I can see the potential.

[Buntz]

Originally Posted by Riksta

A blue screen of death could actually result in a death. Not 100% keen on the idea myself at this stage, but I can see the potential.

Red Windscreen Of Death

[uranium_death]

The only reason why I liked auto-pilot on Star Control II (in hyperspace) between Sol and Beta Corvi (and Alpha Pavonis too) was so I could either get some food, or visit the bathroom...

Since this is not possible in a car, I hope we never have cars that drive for us...

I love driving and the freedom of the open road where I have complete manual control over what I do...

[aussie muscle]

so, the future of driving, is to not drive at all???

[russellw]

Originally Posted by aussie muscle

so, the future of driving, is to not drive at all???

Scary as it may sound, a future of that nature would probably make a large percentage (indeed, majority) of our population happy. It might even be a good thing if they were kept in dedicated lanes and out of everyone else's way.

Cheers
Russ

[Whitey-AMG]

Originally Posted by aussie muscle

so, the future of driving, is to not drive at all???

That future is already here
Its called a bus And if you have more cash and more patience...its called a Taxi
It picks you up and takes you directly to your destination door step. You dont pay for fuel / rego costs or road damage....and if you also get to listen to the indian news and learn new swear words in different languages all at no extra cost......i'd like to see Volvo offer all that...

[buggo]

I could imagine in 40 years time telling my grand kids about my first car. Saying how I had to turn it myself with a circle and make it move with my feet. Sooo old fashioned they would just laugh.

[Ben73]

Sure let people sit on their cars as it drives itself. I'll happily be driving past them while controlling my own car.

[fou_bleu]

It's apparent to me that it needs to be stressed that this concept is NOT aiming to make cars driverless on the whole, rather to create economical "road-trains" on the major multi-lane, high-speed interstate/intercontinental highways where drivers can join and leave at their own leisure as a means of maximising mileage/economy (via aerodynamics & slightly lower speeds) even just for a quick refresh (something to eat & drink or to attend a phone call etc. NOT TO SLEEP). To think that this concept would be adapted to single- or even dual-lane expressways is laughable, let alone your average back road.

As you may be able to tell, I'm all for it and would love to experience it one day...

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by 4RD4TW

It's apparent to me that it needs to be stressed that this concept is NOT aiming to make cars driverless on the whole, rather to create economical "road-trains" on the major multi-lane, high-speed interstate/intercontinental highways where drivers can join and leave at their own leisure as a means of maximising mileage/economy (via aerodynamics & slightly lower speeds) even just for a quick refresh (something to eat & drink or to attend a phone call etc. NOT TO SLEEP). To think that this concept would be adapted to single- or even dual-lane expressways is laughable, let alone your average back road.

As you may be able to tell, I'm all for it and would love to experience it one day...

You won't be able to take a phone call. If you can't use your phone while stopped with engine on, you won't be able to use it while in this roadtrain thing.
So pretty much you will have to sit there doing nothing while going slower then normal. Sounds like a great way to increase fatigue.

[csv8]

Big advantage...put the revenue cameras out of business...so..Gov won't allow it!!!

[last fairlane]

The future ay
I seem to remember maybe 45 years back
VW did something like this
from memory I think they used metal strips buried in the road
that the cars picked up signals from
this was on a test track as well just like that one
the same time if you had 1000 odd pounds($2000) you
could of had a new EH or XM or even an AP5 Valiant
or maybe I dreamed it
John

[Jim Goose]

http://www.miningaustralia.com.au/ne...ss-truck-fleet

ok ill say it again... a trial using driverless B-DOUBLES is to happen in NSW very soon. Its already being used on mine sites.

Rio doubles driverless truck fleet

By Jessica Burke on 9 June 2011


The number of driverless haul trucks will double at Rio Tinto’s Western Australian operations.

The haul trucks will be deployed at the largest mine in the Pilbara, Rio’s Yandicoogina mine, following a two year trial of the Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) technology on trucks at its West Angelas project.

Rio says the trial trucks have performed well above expectations and under the new deployment they will dump ore for the first time.
It will be a change from the waste product the trucks had previously dumped.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore Pilbara Operations president Greg Lilleyman said the trucks are part of the company’s plans for improving all aspects of its mining.

“This is an exciting step in achieving our Mine of the FutureTM vision, and a critical one in our drive for outstanding safety and production efficiency as we grow our business towards 333 Mt/a capacity.

“It will be the first operational deployment of this technology in Australia, or anywhere on this scale.

“The trucks will be used for all haulage requirements in the Junction South East (JSE) pit, moving high grade, low grade and waste material from multiple loading units.”

The trial project has been underway at West Angelas since December 2008, operating around the clock for more than two years.

The trucks have moved more than 42Mt of material in about 145,000 cycles, travelling more than 450,000 kilometres.

The AHS trucks use pre-defined courses and navigate autonomously from loading units to dump locations, including waste dumps, stockpiles and crushers.

The main navigation system is GPS, combined with a secondary navigation process.

There are already automated wharehouses were NO ONE drives any of the forklifts in operation in Australia. Its all computer controlled and I do believe that they are in operation in one Australian port (as a trial)and have heard of a wharf in the USA where its all computer controlled.

While we all have a good laugh about "blue screen of death" etc....it doesnt seem to register that pretty soon there will very few people out there doing these sorts of repeatative type driving jobs because a computer doesnt fall asleep or do drugs or drink or has family problems etc etc....

[Moby Vic]

Originally Posted by csv8

the vehicles in the platoon can travel up to 55 miles per hour while maintaining a 20-foot gap between each other.

Yawn.

I regularly see traffic traveling 20 mph faster with less separation. (I realize the Volvo method is safer, but 55 mph is not a selling point.)

[Corzza]

Working for Volvo Car I will say Volvo is very excited about this and is always looking for ways they make their cars safer and more economical.

Remember Volvo is owned by Geely a Chinese automotive manufacturer and many a time the Chinese get what the Chinese want...

[fou_bleu]

Originally Posted by Corzza

... and many a time the Chinese get what the Chinese want...

Implying what exactly there? They're paying for it, so why not?

As for the mobile phone usage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTxCu...feature=relmfu

[Corzza]

@ 4RD4TW Implying they want this system working in China asap. They are pumping a lot of investment into it.

[fou_bleu]

Originally Posted by Corzza

@ 4RD4TW Implying they want this system working in China asap. They are pumping a lot of investment into it.

Fair enough, I miss-interpreted the tone of the comment you made, my bad!

[Burnout]

They're boxy...... but they're good!

[ILLaViTaR]

Good, better in the hands of a machine than the idiot who would want this technology.