Radar to Lidar: How self-driving cars see roads

Radar to Lidar: How self-driving cars see roads

by with No Comment car insurance online

By: HT Auto Desk
| Updated on: 26 Mar 2024, 17:29 PM

Autonomous driving vehicles use a set of technologies including radar, lidar sensors, and high-definition cameras to ensure a driving behaviour that i

…

Autonomous driving vehicles use a set of technologies including radar, lidar sensors, and high-definition cameras to ensure a driving behaviour that is safe and doesn’t require human interference. (via REUTERS)

Self-driving cars have been making headlines over the last one decade. Traditional car manufacturers have been working on this technology with a huge chunk of investment. Besides that, the technology startups and leading technology companies have also been working on the same system. One word that reflects the multi-dimensional disruptions that have been evolving the auto industry worldwide is CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, Electric).

CASE refers to technologies like connected vehicles, autonomous driving technology, shared mobility and electric mobility. One of the major disruptions that is creating evolution in the global auto industry is self-driving or autonomous driving technology, which enables the vehicle to run without or with variable levels of human interference but doesn’t command complete manual intervention.

Also Read : Tech giants and their automobile dream: Status report

The self-driving vehicles or autonomous vehicles use a variety of sensors, actuators, radars, high-definition cameras, and powerful processors, which work in unison and come laced with an intelligent machine-learning system. These technologies create a map of the vehicle’s static and changing surroundings, enabling the car to navigate between intended destinations without or with variable levels of human interference.

Here is a list of technologies used by self-driving cars.

Radar

One of the most common devices used by autonomous driving vehicles is radar. The self-driving vehicles come equipped with radars located at various positions across the exterior, which help the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine the perceived distance and visuals to ensure safer driving behaviour.

Lidar sensors

Light detecting and ranging sensors, popularly known as Lidar sensors are frequently used in autonomous and semi-autonomous driving vehicles. The Lidar sensors are used to measure distance, detect road edges and identify lane markings. This eventually helps in creating safe and reliable driving behaviour.

High definition cameras

Many self-driving vehicles come equipped with high-powered cameras that capture the image of the surroundings of the vehicle and send those to the onboard computer. Paired with the radar and Lidar sensors, these cameras help the computer and the powerful processors to create a map of the surroundings of the vehicle. This map contains the data related to the roads, various objects, and distances between different objects, helping the vehicle to determine the safest and best route. These cameras also help the vehicle’s computer to detect and recognize the traffic signs.

First Published Date: 26 Mar 2024, 17:29 PM IST


Source link

Tech giants and their automobile dream: Status report

Tech giants and their automobile dream: Status report

by with No Comment car updatesFord CarsHybrid CarsHyundai Carsmaruti suzuki carMercedes-BenzNew Car Launchused car buy sell

Tech giants and their automobile dream

By: HT Auto Desk
| Updated on: 29 Feb 2024, 15:07 PM

In the last few years, from Sony to Huawei, Apple to Xiaomi; traditional technology giants have been making major headlines with their automotive vent

…

In the last few years, from Sony to Huawei, Apple to Xiaomi; traditional technology giants have been making major headlines with their automotive ventures throwing challenges to conventional auto OEMs.

The automobile industry around the world is going through a rapid and multi-dimensional transformation over the last few years. With the advent of new technologies including connectivity, electric propulsion technology, autonomous driving etc, the industry is witnessing a lot of changes. One such change is the emergence of conventional technology companies as automakers.

In the industry’s massive shift to electric vehicles, legacy automakers and mobility startups are not the only ones trying their luck with vehicles powered by electric propulsion systems. Several global technology companies have been bringing their respective electric vehicles. In the last few years, from Sony to Huawei, Apple to Xiaomi – traditional technology giants have made major headlines with their automotive ventures.

The technology giants’ association with the mobility industry is nothing new. However, to date, the technology companies used to be suppliers for auto manufacturers. But, in the last couple of years, they have evolved drastically and to become new-age mobility companies as well as automobile manufacturers.

However, things have not been a cakewalk for these tech giants in their desired path in the automotive world. Here is the status report about the present scenario of these technology companies’ automotive projects.

Apple

Despite promising a lot through its Project Titan, Apple met little success and the project finally reached a make-or-break point recently due to rising costs and delays. This finally compelled the company to call off its fully autonomous electric car project after a decade since it started sometime in 2014, which was dubbed as one of the most ambitious projects in the history of the tech giant known for its products like iPhone, iPad and Macbook.

Xiaomi

While a tech company on the east side of the Pacific Ocean failed to materialise its dream of making an autonomous electric car, on the west side of the ocean, Chinese tech giant Xiaomi stunned the world with its first EV SU7. A suave all-electric sedan, the Xiaomi SU7 was showcased in the flesh at the Mobile World Congress 2024 in Barcelona. Xiaomi announced the development of the SU7 in 2023. It gets power from a 101 kWh battery pack capable of providing more than 800 kilometres of range on a single charge, significantly higher than the majority of EVs currently on sale.

Sony

Sony joined hands with Honda to make its dream of building an electric car true. Christened Afeela, the tech brand has already showcased a real prototype at the CES 2023. which will spawn the production model in 2026. Before being renamed Afeela, the electric sedan was previously christened Vision S. Sony has claimed that this upcoming EV will not only be a car but will act as a testbed for a wide range of futuristic advanced technologies including autonomous driving and other digital systems.

Huawei

Another Chinese tech giant Huawei too has shown its seriousness about smart electric cars. The company had set up an EV brand called Aito in 2021 in association with Seres Group. Under the Aito brand, already three electric cars have been launched: M5, M7 and M9; while a fourth model M8 is under development. Besides that, Huawei also rolled out two new vehicles in China, including its first electric sedan, the Luxeed S7, which is designed to take on Tesla models. Just a few weeks ago, Huawei set up a separate smart car unit, in another stride forward in the Chinese tech giant’s automotive ambitions.

First Published Date: 29 Feb 2024, 15:07 PM IST


Source link

Tech giants and their automobile dream

BMW 7 Series to get Level 3 autonomous driving technology

BMW 7 Series to get Level 3 autonomous driving technology

by with No Comment car insurance online


BMW 7 Series sedan is all set to receive the Level 3 autonomous driving technology. The German luxury has revealed that the 7 Series flagship sedan will receive the BMW Personal Pilot L3 system from next year, which is essentially a hands-free driver assistance technology. The L3 autonomous driving technology is capable of controlling the car at speeds up to 60 kmph. Also, the addition of this new technology increases the price of the car significantly.

By: HT Auto Desk
| Updated on: 12 Nov 2023, 09:55 AM

The BMW Personal Pilot L3 works with the help of a host of sensors and cameras and the hardware makes the 7 Series’ kidney-shaped grille more cluttered.

BMW has revealed that the 7 Series and i7 models will receive this advanced autonomous driving technology in Germany initially. However, it is not sure when the India-spec model will receive this feature.BMW will offer this hands-free driving technology as an option to the customers of the 7 Series and i7. This technology works with the help of multiple sensors and cameras that are fitted to the front of the car. BMW claims that the technology can work in broad daylight as well as in the dark.

Watch: BMW i7 electric sedan: Luxury on wheels

The current generation BMW 7 Series is already a more opulent and tech-friendly sedan than before. The addition of the Personal Pilot L3 will further enhance the capabilities of the car. The i7 comes as the all-electric alternative to the 7 Series and takes on the Mercedes-Benz EQS. BMW India launched both the 7 Series and the i7 in the country earlier this year in January.

While the BMW Personal Pilot L3 would essentially make driving easier for the 7 Series and i7 drivers, the technology doesn’t help the luxury cars’ design. To get this technology, both the BMW 7 Series and i7 get ultrasound sensors, radar and 3D lidar. Some of the hardware required for this technology is fitted into the upper part of the massive kidney grilles. There are now inset trapezoidal areas with rectangular sensors positioned on each side of the grille, which add some extra clutter to the grille. The addition of these sensors makes it look like small kidney-shaped parts are on top of larger kidney grilles.

First Published Date: 12 Nov 2023, 09:55 AM IST



Source link