Audi has a gearbox that changes it's shift pattern based on upcoming corners identified by the GPS.
Mercedes has advanced pedestrian/object detection integrated into their higher-end cars to prevent collisions.
and there are probably many other advances already present in cars that basically allow them to drive themselves without much user-concentration these days.
Latest BMW 7-series: "A new Enhanced Active Cruise Control system builds on the last-generation Active Cruise Control System with Stop & Go to add the ability to brake to a complete stop if the driver doesn't react to stopping traffic in time. The system alerts the driver to the situation along the way, but will ultimately take over if it deems it necessary."
That sounds quite lame actually. Not the kind of system that instills trust and confidence in the driver. I don't want to hear the damn thing beeping at me every time it has to do its job.
Thanks for the link, interesting to see it in action.
But this is actually the complete opposite of what I want. This system reduces road capacity by almost half. Look at the gap it's leaving. Look at how slow it is to start up from a stop. I think I'd be on the horn if this guy was in front of me.
When you leave that much space in front of you ("to be nice" or to "smooth it out") the empty road where 2 or 3 cars could have been is actually reducing road capacity causing significantly worse traffic behind you.
Most of this video is shot below 25mph. Average follow distance of a competent computer "super cruiser" should be < 10ft, which would make the car essentially "free" from a capacity standpoint. When the speed finally gets up to 50mph, the follow distance is practically too long to count, something like 5 seconds back.
The driver even comments just after t=5:00, "See how big the gap is? I have it set at 75, it's doing about 50." That car has a 300hp engine, why is the computer driving like it's drunk?
"I'll just sit back and relax and get to work when I get to work." No! You probably impose a several thousand dollar "productivity tax" on SoCal commuters by driving like that over the course of a year.
Autonomous Cruise Control [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_cruise_control_syste...] for changing speed up/down and even breaking depending on the car in front.
Lane Departure Warning System [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lane_departure_warning_system] for ensuring you stay in the right lane, some cars will even steer you back in.
Audi has a gearbox that changes it's shift pattern based on upcoming corners identified by the GPS.
Mercedes has advanced pedestrian/object detection integrated into their higher-end cars to prevent collisions.
and there are probably many other advances already present in cars that basically allow them to drive themselves without much user-concentration these days.