Automatic driving assistance system for hands-free driving on the highway

Are you a James Bond movie fan, wherein cars are driven automatically with Bond sitting in the back seat. Well, it is not a movies thing anymore. Now you could, with this new automatic driving assistance system, actually drive a car without being at the driver's seat, just literally.

FASCar II

What I am talking about here is Hochautomatisertem FASCar II that is making all this possible and bringing fiction to reality by taking your instructions to runs on sensors.. The concept has been adapted by EU HAVEit-funded research project from the German Center demonstrated for Aerospace.

The environmental sensors and accurate tracking system enables the car to warn you of any obstacles and objects ahead and even suggests lane changes. This technology does not use the conventional mechanical steering rod that connects the steering wheel and axle, instead the steer-by-wire concept is put into use that electronically transfers the steering inputs.

According to Professor Karsten Lemmer, Director of the DLR Institute of Transportation System, the vehicle provides feedback to the driver, such as vibration, counter-steering or a jolt, while the steering axle can be controlled completely independently of it.

1. Assisted: Warns the driver of the obstacles ahead and suggests lane change. But the action has to be performed by the driver.

2. Semi-Automated: Acts like an intelligent adaptive cruise control wherein the driver can take over anytime. The cruise control controls the desired speed or maintains distance from a slower vehicle ahead.

3. Highly-Automated: Ideal for long drives, this system is used to automate speed, distance, adjustment, tracking, and passing maneuvers. You can drive in this mode without your hands on the steering wheel. Also, you can define the tasks that you want automated and you can take over any time. This makes for a comfortable ride without losing control on the vehicle.

The automation also automatically accelerates the car speed according to the speed limit once the vehicle ahead changes lane to the left. More so, if you are tired or distracted, the Highly Automatic mode shows as Assisted for taking over control. A Volkswagen Passat is the basic vehicle for the FASCar. The demonstration vehicle FASCar II consists of a variety of components from different HAVEit project partners.

The DLR integrated in the Volkswagen Passat in addition to the proprietary steer-by-wire steering and a laser scanner from SICK, the Car2Car communication from the Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (INRIA), the Chassis & Safety Controller (ECU) the XCC Continental and control hardware of the Institute of Aerospace Systems at the University of Stuttgart for the steer-by-wire steering. After all, movies are based on reality but sometimes the vice versa happens too!