Honda introduced its first self-driving car on Detroit roads in a demonstration and it performed well
Honda, the renowned car maker, is entering into the niche self-driving car technology where it will go head-to-head with Google's widely-tested driverless cars. The Japanese automaker demonstrated a concept of its driverless technology in an Acura RLX sedan at the "Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress" event in Detroit, Tuesday. The annual event is important among the attendees, mainly engineers and researchers, to witness the futuristic technology in automobiles.
Honda's concept vehicle is equipped with cameras to monitor the lane markings and radar sensors with a laser beacon on top to continuously scan the car's surroundings. The technology is almost similar to the one seen in other driverless cars launched by Google, Ford and Toyota. The integrated GPS system helps the car to stay on the mapped course and follow the speed limit, Fox News reported.
The introduction of the first prototype car using driverless technology will be widely integrated into commercial vehicles as early as 2020 and beyond, Honda said.
After testing the prototype Acura sedan, Fox reported that it performed exceptionally well by crossing the freeway of a loop in Detroit, gaining acceleration without exceeding speed limit, applying brakes when another car is detected within range and also signaled before changing lanes. The car covered a distance of 8 miles without any driver intervention and avoided construction zones. The car also diverts control to the driver to handle emergency situations like when a car suddenly appears in front and brakes needs to be applied quickly.
"Honda is aiming to eliminate accidents, not just for the driver but for pedestrians and drivers of other cars," Hironobu Kiryu, the car's chief engineer, said.
