Volkswagen Develops Temporary Auto-Pilot for Cars

Volkswagen has been working on the idea of driver-less cars for a while. First there were the Touareg and Passat cars for DARPA that were totally autonomous. Given all of the radar and computers packed into those cars, they were never going to be for production. However, Volkswagen has taken a major step into making production-ready cars that need only minimal assistance by drivers.

The Temporary Auto-Pilot system can operate a car at speeds up to 130km/h. The system bundles adaptive cruise control and lane assistance with other driver-controlled functions. It is able to maintain a given speed, reduces speed as necessary either because of traffic or a bend and keeps the car in the desired lane. The system can also adjust with changing speed limits and even deal with stop-and-go traffic. 

What the system can not do is adjust to drastic changes in conditions. So drivers must be attentive in case of emergencies. 

Unlike VW's previous automation systems, the Temporary Auto-Pilot is constructed from relatively production-ready components. It is a combination of radar, camera-based, ultrasonic, laser systems. 

"One conceivable scenario for its initial use might be in monotonous driving situations, e.g. in traffic jams or over sections of a driving route that are exceedingly speed-limited," said Prof. Dr. Jürgen Leohold, Executive Director of Volkswagen Group.