Autonomous driving

Real-world testing for Audi autonomous driving takes ‘Jack’ out onto the Autobahn.

24 October, 2015

Late last year, Audi completed a stunning demonstration of autonomous driving when an RS 7 Sportback raced around the Hockenheim circuit without a driver at the wheel – travelling at race speeds.

The imagery of a TTS, sans driver, describing the Audi four-ringed logo in a salt flat in America is compelling viewing and evidence of the system’s strengths, and a drive for members of the US press, in real traffic conditions from the American West Coast to Las Vegas again demonstrated the leaps Audi is making in autonomous driving.

In another real world test of its piloted driving, in 2015 Audi took an A7 test vehicle – nicknamed Jack – out onto Autobahn A9 with the German Minister for Transport on board to give him a first hand taste of ‘hands free’ motoring in the fast lane.

Demonstrating lane changes and overtaking as part of the drive, the German Federal Minister for Transport, Alexander Dobrindt was seriously impressed with the progress Audi is making with its autonomous driving systems, saying:

“Automated driving is not something out of science fiction. In a few years there will be piloted vehicles driving on the roads ... the long term goal is completely networked roads. Traffic jams and environmental pollution will be reduced, traffic safety increased and the infrastructure used to optimum capacity. I see big opportunities for Germany as a location for innovation and industry. Our automotive industry has the most attractive products in the world. Our goal must be to remain a world leader, including for automated driving.”

Indeed, Mr Dobrindt has declared the A9 Autobahn a high-tech superhighway which will be used as a testing ground for networked vehicles in the future.

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, was extremely pleased by this latest real-world demonstration and the support of the Transport Minister as he and the Audi team continue to work on this system for introduction in series production.

As far as Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg is concerned, there are three main areas of application for the use of this artificial intelligence (AI) in vehicles.

“On the one hand for the prevention of accidents: When the driver is overwhelmed and there is the risk of losing control or when he or she is bored because the trip is too monotonous. On the other hand also when the driver can and wants to make more effective use of his or her time, such as when sitting in a traffic jam. Less stress, greater safety and more convenience are the results,” he said.

The heart, or more accurately, the brain of piloted driving is the central driver assistance control unit designated the zFAS. It uses state-of-the-art, high-performance processors to evaluate the signals from all sensors in real time and compute manoeuvres. A radar system scans the area in front of the car while a video camera finds lane markings, guardrails, pedestrians and of course other vehicles. A laser scanner delivers high-precision data about objects up to 80 metres away. In addition, as many as 12 ultrasonic sensors and four cameras monitor the entire area surrounding the car. The zFAS then uses all of this data to compute a model of the surroundings and the prevailing traffic situation, allowing it to chart a path and swiftly deal with the actions of other vehicles.

The possibilities down the track are incredible. And, as Alexander Dobrindt said after his run on the autobahn with ‘Jack’ taking care of the driving duties, ‘automated driving is not something out of science fiction’.

Autonomous driving

Real-world testing for Audi autonomous driving takes ‘Jack’ out onto the Autobahn.

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