The Audi test vehicles have undergone thorough updates to achieve auctions that mimic human driving habits. One situation where humans exhibit specific traits is when they are planning to make a turn. These actions can be hard to copy with computer technology due to the many small instinctual actions that take place leading up to the maneuver. The self-driving Audi must anticipate like a human. The actions that indicate a turn is coming are signaling and slightly moving to the edge of the current lane.
Proper anticipation allows for safer interaction by alerting other drivers on the road as to the car’s intentions. The Audi will be able to make allowances for larger vehicles, such as trucks. The space needed for an oncoming truck to move into the lane is much larger. The Audi will be able to understand whether it needs to speed up or slow down, to make room for the merging vehicle.
The new system runs on satellite and is equipped to plan out a route ahead of time. This route will be the most time efficient, make good use of the time the Audi spends in self-driving mode.
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One notable trip made by an Audi in self-driving mode was from California to Nevada. The Audi made the majority of this trip entirely on its own. The version used for this trip was an early model called the CES 2015. The new improvements in software will make these types of trips near flawless. After this expedition, Daniel Lipinski was interviewed in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was representing Audi at the car show. Lipinski is handling Audi’s automated driver developments as the project leader. He took the time to elaborate on some of the methods that have been incorporated into the self-driving software. The goal has been to increase the comfort level of passengers by mimicking natural driving abilities.
Audi originates in the town of Ingolstadt. This city is implementing certain plans to integrate self-driving vehicles better into the mainstream. The city will be installing items, such as sensors, at their public intersections.
Audi has also taken the mission to the government to work together on public signs and roadside posts. The strategic placement of these items will help self-driving cars to recognize the environment and location better. These efforts are mostly aimed at the famous A9 Autobahn roadway.