First licensed autonomous car drives through Berlin

Researchers from Freie Universität Berlin have developed the autonomous car ‘MadeInGermany’ and test driven it safely on an 80km journey through full Berlin traffic. The VW Passat has been modified so that electronic commands from the controlling computer are passed directly to the accelerator, brakes and steering wheel of the vehicle.

The car was developed by AutoNOMOS Labs, a university project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, with the objective of developing technology transferable to driver assistance systems, safety systems in conventional cars, or full autonomous vehicles in private enclosures such airports or mines.

The car’s chassis contains multiple sensors that relay information about all cars or persons around the vehicle, allowing it to change speed, avoid obstacles and change lanes. A very accurate GPS map allows the car to recognise it’s position on the streets of Berlin. Laser scanners on the front and rear cover a 360 degree range to sense any object or person that could be a potential collision. These lasers emit pulses in the invisible infrared region – the flight time of the echo of the pulse determines the distance of the object from the car. A black and white camera detects the white lane stripes in order to position the car correctly. Two colour cameras identify traffic lights; 46 were negotiated safely during the test drive.

The leader of the project, Prof. Raul Rojas, is confident that the cars are mature enough to be used on private roads. Autonomous driving on public highways may take a little longer – not least on account of the difficult legal issues. Extra safety would also be required. "The standards used to measure safety in autonomous cars will be far more severe than for humans," says Prof. Rojas, "but once all pieces fall into place, autonomous cars will be safer than cars driven by persons. It is just a matter of time."

AutoNOMOS Labs see their research as part of a bigger picture to develop greener transport. In the future, these cars could act as autonomous taxis, enabling effective car sharing and more efficient travel time. Berlin, with a well-run public transport system, could cut its vehicle requirements to 10% of the current number by using these cars.

The next goal of the research team is to successfully navigate the car between European cities.

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Published: Wednesday, 21st September 2011 by Ellen Haggan