Cars that can auto-pilot on the road just around the corner
For many years creative minds have dreamed about a world where vehicles can drive autonomously without human interaction. It seems like those dreams are closer to coming true as one car manufacturer has been playing around with this idea. Nissan recently demonstrated a mini robotic car that can move in groups avoiding obstacles autonomously.
Cars that can pilot automatically have existed in science fiction for a long time. The implications of auto-piloted cars are numerous as it could in theory dramatically reduce vehicle fatalities. According to CNET, Nissan has been looking at such application by working on developing a mini robotic car that can move with a group mentality in order to be aware of obstacles and its surroundings.
Nissan recently introduced the Eporo, and dubbed it the first robot car designed to move in a group with the goal of sharing position and data about surroundings. Apparently, Nissan is aiming to eventually incorporate the technology into passenger cars to reduce accidents and traffic jams.
Credit: Nissan [via CNET]
According to the car manufacturer the concept was designed after studying the way a school of fish move. Nissan studied how schools of fish moved around as a group without colliding. Apparently three observations came out of this study: how schools of fish avoid crashing, traveling side by side, and keeping close to each member of the school.
To mimic this behavior, Nissan is utilizing laser range finders and ultra-wideband radio to assess distance to obstacles. The mini robot cars also are programmed to take different formations in order to maneuver around obstacles and tight spots. The name Eporo stands form “Episode O (Zero) Robot,” which means zero accidents and zero emissions. This technology could definitely help reduce user caused car accidents and possibly help lead to vehicles that will be able to completely take you from point A to point B without user interaction safely.
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