Όλες οι αυτοκινητοβιομηχανίες σκέφτονται ότι η αυτοκίνηση του μέλλοντος είναι αυτόνομη και έτσι έχουνε βαλθεί στο να παρουσιάσουν τέτοια συστήματα. Η VW, η BMW αλλά και η Google έχουνε ήδη παρουσιάσει μερικές προτάσεις τους και έτσι η General Motors δεν θα μπορούσε να μείνει έξω από το παιχνίδι. Οι Αμερικάνοι ανακοίνωσαν ότι εργάζονται πάνω στην τεχνολογία αυτή, η οποία θα είναι έτοιμη να βγει στην αγορά στα τέλη της δεκαετίας που διανύουμε.
Η τεχνολογία θα χρησιμοποιεί αισθητήρες, ραντάρ, GPS και κάμερες έτσι ώστε να συλλέγει τα απαραίτητα δεδομένα και ο κεντρικός υπολογιστής είτε θα συμβουλεύει τον οδηγό, είτε θα δρα από μόνο του. Στο σύστημα αυτό θα προσαρμοστούν πολλές από τις τωρινές τεχνολογίες, όπως η τεχνολογία ειδοποίησης αλλαγής λωρίδας και η ειδοποίηση πρόσκρουσης ενώ τα αυτοκίνητα του μέλλοντος θα επικοινωνούν μεταξύ τους, έτσι ώστε να εξαλειφθούν εντελώς οι πιθανότητες πρόσκρουσης.
[Πηγή: General Motors]
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GM: Self-Driving Vehicles Could be Ready by End of Decade
Advanced safety technologies provide building blocks for autonomous driving
DETROIT – Vehicles that partially drive themselves will be available by the middle of the decade with more sophisticated self-driving systems by the end of the decade, General Motors Vice President of Global Research and Development Alan Taub says.
These advances in autonomous vehicle technology are built on leading-edge advanced active safety systems, Taub told the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress in Orlando on Sunday.
Sensors, radars, portable communication devices, GPS and cameras are the tools that supply critical information to the driver and the automobile’s computer system. Combined with digital maps, the same technologies will allow the driver to let the vehicle concentrate on driving while he does something else.
“The technologies we’re developing will provide an added convenience by partially or even completely taking over the driving duties,” Taub said. “The primary goal, though, is safety. Future generation safety systems will eliminate the crash altogether by interceding on behalf of drivers before they’re even aware of a hazardous situation.”
GM is already putting some of these advanced safety systems into its vehicles. For example, a lane departure warning system is available on the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain; a side blind-zone alert is available on the Cadillac Escalade, GMC Yukon and Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban. A host of vehicles, including the Equinox and Terrain, offer back-up cameras.
Additional advanced safety systems under development will provide the foundation for autonomous driving including:
- An industry-first crash avoidance system available on the 2012 GMC Terrain uses a camera to help drivers avoid front-end and lane departure crashes. The system uses a high-resolution digital camera mounted on the windshield ahead of the rearview mirror to look for shapes of vehicles and lane markings, alerting the driver to possible collisions and lane departures.
- Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication systems gather information from other vehicles, roadways and traffic signals to warn drivers about possible hazards ahead, including slowed or stalled vehicles, hard-braking drivers, slippery roads, sharp curves and upcoming stop signs and intersections. These systems, on display this week at the ITS World Congress, can be embedded in the vehicle or be added as applications to portable devices/smartphones that connect wirelessly to the vehicle.
- The EN-V urban mobility concept combines GPS with vehicle-to-vehicle communications and distance-sensing technologies to enable autonomous driving. The EN-V’s capabilities being demonstrated at the ITS World Congress includes pedestrian detection, collision avoidance, platooning and automated parking and retrieval, where the EN-V drops off its driver, parks itself and then returns to pick up the driver via commands from a smartphone.
“In the coming years, we believe the industry will experience a dramatic leap in active safety systems, and, hopefully, a dramatic decline in injuries and fatalities on our roadways,” Taub said. “GM has made a commitment to be at the forefront of this development.”
GM has been a leader in developing autonomous vehicle technology, having worked with Carnegie Mellon University to develop the “The Boss” Chevrolet Tahoe that brought autonomous vehicle operation to life in 2007 and won the DARPA Urban Challenge. The event required teams to build a driverless vehicle capable of driving in traffic and performing complex maneuvers such as merging, passing, parking and negotiating intersections over a 60-mile course.
General Motors Sales in China Top 2 Million in 2011
SHANGHAI – For the second time in its history, General Motors has sold more than 2 million vehicles in China in a calendar year, reaching the milestone today.
On November 4, 2010, GM became the first global automaker in China to sell 2 million vehicles in one year.
“This is another outstanding achievement for GM in the world’s largest vehicle market,” said Kevin Wale, president and managing director of the GM China Group. “Our key brands and many of our key products have continued to experience record demand despite intense competition.”
Demand in China this year for the Buick brand has risen 24 percent, Chevrolet 18 percent and Cadillac 73 percent. In addition, GM’s SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture sold its 1 millionth vehicle in China this year on Oct. 14.
“We do not intend to rest on our laurels,” said Wale. “We look forward to building on our success through the ongoing introduction of great new products and services for the people of China.”
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