Automotive

Driverless Audi RS7 to lap Hockenheim GP circuit

Driverless Audi RS7 to lap Hockenheim GP circuit
A driverless Audi RS7 will lap Hockenheim on October 19
A driverless Audi RS7 will lap Hockenheim on October 19
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A driverless Audi RS7 will lap Hockenheim on October 19
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A driverless Audi RS7 will lap Hockenheim on October 19
Audi says the RS7 will lap the GP circuit at Hockenheim
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Audi says the RS7 will lap the GP circuit at Hockenheim
The Audi RS7 is expected to lap Hockenheim in 2 minutes and 10 seconds
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The Audi RS7 is expected to lap Hockenheim in 2 minutes and 10 seconds
Audi says the RS7 is as fast as pro drivers
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Audi says the RS7 is as fast as pro drivers
The RS7 will drive "with full throttle on the straights, full braking before the corners, precise turn-in and perfectly metered acceleration when exiting the corners"
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The RS7 will drive "with full throttle on the straights, full braking before the corners, precise turn-in and perfectly metered acceleration when exiting the corners"
The Audi RS7 is expected to hit a top speed of 240 km/h (149 mph)
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The Audi RS7 is expected to hit a top speed of 240 km/h (149 mph)
The Audi RS7 will use "specially corrected GPS signals for orientation on the track" that are accurate to within 1 cm (0.4-in)
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The Audi RS7 will use "specially corrected GPS signals for orientation on the track" that are accurate to within 1 cm (0.4-in)
The Audi RS7 will receive data via WLAN or high-frequency radio should the need for fallback arise
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The Audi RS7 will receive data via WLAN or high-frequency radio should the need for fallback arise
Audi says that the technologies it is developing for driverless cars will be featuring in production vehicles by the end of this decade
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Audi says that the technologies it is developing for driverless cars will be featuring in production vehicles by the end of this decade
Audi says the technologies being developed for its production cars include the ability for them to take over steering and acceleration in a traffic jam
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Audi says the technologies being developed for its production cars include the ability for them to take over steering and acceleration in a traffic jam
Audi also says that automatic parking maneuvering is being developed for its production cars
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Audi also says that automatic parking maneuvering is being developed for its production cars
The lap of Audi's driverless RS7 around Hockenheim will take place on October 19
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The lap of Audi's driverless RS7 around Hockenheim will take place on October 19
The lap of Audi's driverless RS7 around Hockenheim will be broadcast on the company's website
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The lap of Audi's driverless RS7 around Hockenheim will be broadcast on the company's website
The lap will take place during the final meeting of the German Touring Car Championship season
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The lap will take place during the final meeting of the German Touring Car Championship season
View gallery - 14 images

Two years ago, the idea of driverless cars on our roads seemed crazy to many people. Today, the technology is being built into our cars, and a driverless Audi RS7 is set to lap Hockenheim at the same pace as a professional racing driver. The event on October 19 will show just how far driverless cars have come.

Audi has been working on autonomous vehicles for a number of years. In 2009, it tested a driverless Audi TTS on the Bonneville Salt Flats. In 2010 that TTS drove the Pikes Peak mountain race circuit in Colorado, followed by some impressive laps on California's Thunderhill Raceway in 2012. Back then, the TTS couldn't quite keep up with the pro drivers, but the RS7 is able to do just that.

Although Audi has received licenses for testing its driverless cars on public roads in Florida and California, the company says that the race track is the most demanding place for testing driverless cars. This, it says, is due to the high levels of precision and entire lack of errors that are required. The RS7 will use "specially corrected GPS signals for orientation on the track" that are accurate to within 1 cm (0.4-in) and will receive data via WLAN or high-frequency radio should the need for fallback arise.

The Audi RS7 will use "specially corrected GPS signals for orientation on the track" that are accurate to within 1 cm (0.4-in)
The Audi RS7 will use "specially corrected GPS signals for orientation on the track" that are accurate to within 1 cm (0.4-in)

In addition to using GPS for navigation, the car will monitor 3D images captured in real time and compare them against graphical images stored on board. By analyzing hundreds of features in the images, the car will be able to improve the level of its driving accuracy and performance.

Audi says the RS7 will drive "a clean racing line with full throttle on the straights, full braking before the corners, precise turn-in and perfectly metered acceleration when exiting the corners." It is expected to hit a top speed of 240 km/h (149 mph) and to complete a lap of the GP length circuit in 2 minutes and 10 seconds.

The lap of Audi's driverless RS7 around Hockenheim will take place on October 19
The lap of Audi's driverless RS7 around Hockenheim will take place on October 19

The automaker claims that the technologies it is developing for driverless cars will be featuring in vehicles by the end of this decade. These technologies will include cars' ability to take over steering and acceleration when they're in a traffic jam and automatic parking maneuvering.

The lap of Audi's driverless RS7 around Hockenheim will be broadcast on the company's website on October 19.

Source: Audi

View gallery - 14 images
7 comments
7 comments
Robert Walther
100% driverless cars much preferred to 10% mindless drivers.
Bill Bennett
@Robert, the number is greater than 10%
Konstantin Bogun
After 20% you can get new abilities to control environment. 10% - is a norm for human, only dolphins have more.. L. Besson. Lucy. :)
Mel Tisdale
"In addition to using GPS for navigation, the car will monitor 3D images captured in real time and compare them against graphical images stored on board. By analyzing hundreds of features in the images, the car will be able to improve the level of its driving accuracy and performance."
So this car is going to prove that if the GPS gets jammed (try eBay for cheap GPS jammers) it will be able to navigate by referencing graphical images for specific features. Ten out of ten for realising that GPS needs a back up, naught out of ten for choosing a method that is impossible to use for normal driving, unless one is expected to imagine that the database will keep pace with road works, road accidents, parked lorries etc. that can and will rearrange or hide the features that will be relied upon for positioning in the whole of the territory that it is possible to find itself.
As for the race track being the best place to test driverless cars, I beg to differ. The best place to test driverless cars is in congested urban situations. Also in fog, snow and/or ice and on flooded roads that might, or might not be fordable, while the GPS system simulates being jammed and then separately, being hacked, and thus placing the vehicle in slightly different locations (one meter to the side should be entertaining enough to lose any no-claims bonus that has miraculously been accumulated. .
I have little doubt that this car will do what is expected of it at Hockenheim. Unfortunately, I also have little doubt that it will do what I expect of it under the conditions outlined above.
Padaung
Mel, I agree - I thought much the same as you whilst reading the article. Audi also doesn't explain how the car would adapt to changeable driving conditions. For example, a sudden shower whilst the car is set up to do a fast lap. Would the car respond automatically to the change in grip levels or crash?
Jane Leonard
Driver-less Audi cars are at the epitome of technology with the automobile industry. This new advancement could definitely be a great success in the coming years, making the travelers to feel relaxed and comfortable.
Azar Attura
THIS is not fiction -- HOWEVER, in 1960 or 1961 I read a fictional article in Atlantic Monthly about Mr Ornufree's Green Race car that lapped the track all by itself. I have searched high and low but have NEVER been able to find that article!! Anyone??????