It looks like the days of steering wheel-controlled cars are coming to an end. Volkswagen has managed to develop a temporary autopilot system that brings us one step closer to having cars that don’t need drivers to move. Developed together with the HAVEit (Highly Automated Vehicles for Intelligent Transportation), the autopilot system allows cars to drive on their own when engaged.
Called the Temporary Auto Pilot system, it works by combining a number of passive safety features that area already found in vehicles such as adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist. And since it uses driving aids – drivers can easily override the system any time by just taking control of the wheel – they’re never out of control with the vehicle. The system can work at low speeds (stop-start mode for traffic) and highway cruising speeds of 80mph.
While it’s not safe enough for you to just go to sleep while the car cruises on by itself, the TAP uses technology that is already in production so it can even be implemented in today’s cars. How would you feel about cars on the road that are moving without the person behind the wheel controlling them?
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