German auto engineer, BMW has always been in limelight for implementing new technologies in its cars and exploring new arenas of innovations in automobiles. This time the car maker has attempted to write a new chapter in automotive history by coming with an autonomous car. BMW's autonomous driving suite helps the car to traverse without the control of a driver on steering wheel and the car moves nimbly on all tracks like a proficient skilled driver. The car maker's existing 2 Series coupe and 6 Series Gran coupe have been the modified prototypes displaying this technology and were recently showcased at Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Company claims that these models have came up as an authentic drifting machines after iteration and can go around tracks just like Formula One cars.
In the past years, almost all car makers have focussed over making driver-less cars and are in a bid to pursue the same goal. Auto giants like Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Volvo and Tesla have been rigorously working in making this dream technology a successful reality in the upcoming time. It must be noted that all these abovementioned companies are in the testing phase of their autonomous cars. BMW has been efficiently carrying out test on its driver-less cars, which have been running on Nurburgring circuit in Germany and Laguna Seca race track in California. Interestingly, these cars are not just limited to testing tracks as they have spent over 13,000 km on real roads at moderate speed.
The two prototypes displayed have also been manoeuvring on various tracks at high speeds with great efficiency. They are equipped with LIDAR technology, which scans the cars' surroundings by bouncing infrared lights and mapping out a 3D image of the environment. This technology has a range of up to 200 feet. The computers installed in these cars communicate with this technology and operate the accelerator pedal, wheels and brakes, accordingly. Assisting the LIDAR system are ultrasonic sensors, 360 degree radar and cameras on the body layout.
BMW claims by saying, “The prototype can pilot its way at high speeds and with exceptional precision on a slalom run between cones, adheres to a marked out circular course regardless of the friction coefficient of the road surface and executes an obstacle-evading lane change to perfection.” The car can easily change lanes, slide through corners with maximum traction and minimal under as well as oversteer. The company further said, “Even when deliberately provoked into oversteer – the clearest way of highlighting a vehicle’s dynamic limit – the highly automated prototype follows its path safely and along almost identical lines time after time.”
BMW had earlier announced its syndicate with Continental automotive supplier with an aim to develop electronic co-pilot system for self driving cars. The collaboration even claimed that it will introduce partially autonomous cars by 2016, followed by highly automated and fully automated cars in 2020 and 2025, respectively. The prototypes seem to be an invention of this ally only, which further has the objective to successfully launch these cars and make them more adaptive in every sphere. Experts had foretold that a day would come where vehicles will drive themselves without any human intervention and BMW has just given the world a glimpse that indicates that the day is near.
