BMW has
shown off self-driving cars that can "drift" around bends and slalom
between cones.
The
modified 2-Series Coupe and 6-Series Gran Coupe are able to hurtle round a
racetrack and control a power slide without any driver intervention.
Using
360-degree radar, ultrasonic sensors and cameras, the cars sense and adapt to
their surroundings.
BMW
demonstrated its latest autonomous driving technology at the Consumer
Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
It is
just one of several car manufacturers experimenting with the technology -
Japan's Toyota has also been demonstrating its autonomous car at CES.
And
Bosch, better known for its white goods and power tools, showed off its
smartphone-controlled self-parking technology at the show.
Accident-prone
With
about 50,000 road fatalities in the US each year, carmakers are hoping sensor-
and software-controlled cars could prove less accident-prone than cars driven
by humans.
One 2013
study by the Eno Center for Transportation suggested that if 10% of cars on US
roads were autonomous this could reduce fatalities by about 1,000.
A number
of driver assistance technologies are already being incorporated into the
latest cars, from lane-drifting warnings to self-parking.
Currently
California, Florida and Nevada have licensed autonomous vehicles to be tested
on their public roads, and Google's fleet of 24 robot Lexus SUVs (sports
utility vehicles) have clocked up about 500,000 miles of unassisted driving so
far without any reported mishaps.
Autonomous
vehicles are not yet allowed on European roads and we are still a long way from
seeing driverless cars frequenting our streets and motorways.
But as
the number of successful demonstrations grows, the cultural hurdles are
probably greater than the technological ones. (BBC)
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