Jaguar Land Rover’s UK-based research team has been working on some rather ambitious and exciting autonomous driving projects.
Amongst these ground-breaking projects are a Remote Control Range Rover operated via a smartphone app. Walking alongside the car at up to 4mph, the smartphone user can control steering, brakes, accelerator, and change from high to low range, while manoeuvring the car out of challenging situations.
The Remote Control Range Rover can even be reversed out of a car parking space if other drivers have parked too close for the doors to be opened, being controlled by the driver using a smartphone provided they are within 10 metres of the car and if the smart key can be detected.
Meanwhile, the Multi-Point-Turn Range Rover Sport can autonomously manoeuvre through 180 degrees, allowing it to extricate itself from situations such as dead-end roads and congested car parks without the driver having to attempt the dreaded three-point turn. Using sensors to detect space and obstacles, the system controls gear selection, steering, braking, and acceleration to complete the necessary forward and reverse movements. The researchers are working towards developing the system further, enabling it to analyse its surroundings and inform the driver whether it is safe to perform the manoeuvre.
Jaguar Land Rover are also working on an advanced research programme to enhance the car’s sensing capability, a project the research team has dubbed the ‘Solo Car’. This will include developing a range of sophisticated sensors to make autonomous driving possible in all environments and weather conditions. This system will involve radar, LIDAR, cameras, ultrasonics, and structured light technology, working in harmony to operate the car safely and autonomously.
Dr Wolfgang Epple, Director of Research and Technology at Jaguar Land Rover, said: “Getting a car out of a tricky parking manoeuvre can be a stressful experience for any driver. A Remote Control car, or a vehicle that can autonomously turn in the road, demonstrates how we could use these new technologies to reduce the tedious parts of driving and improve road safety. Research into technologies like these won’t only help us deliver an autonomous car. They will help make real driving safer and more enjoyable. The same sensors and systems that will help an autonomous car make the right decisions, will assist the driver and enhance the experience to help prevent accidents. Autonomous car technologies will not take away the fun of driving. We know our customers drive in heavy rain, and snow, and bright desert sunshine every day. We are working on an array of new sensors that would enable a car to operate in any environment, without any outside intervention or input from lane markings or roadside infrastructure like traffic lights.”
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