Being able to avoid obstacles is something that all self-driving cars need to do. In fact even Tesla’s Autopilot mode is more than capable of detecting obstacles and braking and swerving out of the way to avoid them, but it looks like Renault’s self-driving car takes it to the next level as it appears to be capable of avoid obstacles like a professional.
As you can see in the video above, Renault demonstrates its self-driving tech which when placed in an obstacle course, has no problems navigating it and swerving around obstacles that suddenly pop up. Granted this is thanks to computing systems in the car that help it know when to avoid, but Renault also credits the avoidance style to professional test drivers in which their abilities served as inspiration.
In a post on Medium, Simon Hougard, director of the Renault Open Innovation Lab wrote, “Despite popular belief, the reality is that human beings are pretty amazing drivers, with less than one fatality per 100,000,000 kilometers in most developed countries. Reaching and exceeding that benchmark is essential to improve safety and realize our dreams of autonomous cars, providing more productivity during our morning commutes and robo-vehicle services in city centers.”
Renault is still in the midst of developing its technology and hopes that it will be usable in its self-driving cars that they plan to put on the road by 2022.