A driverless car smoothly joined daytime traffic near Luxembourg’s university campus in Kirchberg – a first for the Grand Duchy – after researchers at the institute developed new software to enable the future of driving.
Reporters took turns in pairs to join a ride, watching the wheel turning as if moved by invisible hands, as the Kia entered the traffic flow, stopping for red lights and accelerating when need without human interaction.
The driving felt completely normal, like an ordinary ride at a steady pace, making this reporter almost forget an artificial brain was in control.
“We modified the vehicle and added different sensors and computers to the car. […] On top of the car, you have all of the sensors, […] six cameras and one laser,” Raphaël Frank, the leader of the project said.
“The laser scans the entire environment,” he said, to then project a 3D model of the car’s surroundings on a screen next to the steering wheel.
The project represents the first autonomous single-family car circulating on the open road in Luxembourg in actual conditions, capable of dealing with standard road regulations. But it is not ready to function other than in an experimental section, because more is needed to drive like a real human being.
Frank’s 360Lab, an interdisciplinary research centre at the university, will continue to experiment to refine navigation technologies and high-definition maps. It is the first research centre focusing on smart mobility in the country, working together with other research institutions across Europe.
“In the short term, this system will [assist] humans to be better drivers”, he said. But “in the long run, it will completely change our mobility, said Frank, who is also a professor at the University of Luxembourg.
“Once we have [autonomous vehicles], that is when cars do not need a steering wheel any more and can drive in any kind of environment. We will not need to own cars any more,” he added.
Companies could offer a subscription service, like Spotify, guaranteeing clients they can use a nearby vehicle at any time without having to own one.
“Having autonomous vehicles will first reduce the number of cars, and secondly it will be much more efficient in driving because the [technology of coordinating] all these vehicles will reduce the amount of energy needed for one single car compared to today,” he said.
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