Absolutely all major car manufacturers are working on their own autonomous driving technologies, since this is most likely the future of the entire industry. While Tesla and the Chinese auto giants have been testing their own self-driving systems with varying degrees of success, Germany’s Mercedes-Benz was the first to get permission to test Level 3 (SAE) autonomous driving technology in the United States. Since recently, it has the full right to send its unmanned vehicles on public roads within the state of Nevada, while no other manufacturer has received similar permission from regulators.
SAE International specifications state that Level 3 driving automation refers to the ability of a vehicle to drive independently on public roads, with some restrictions in certain situations. This means that the vehicle can move independently on roads within the city and on highways outside it, and the human driver can calmly go about his business, looking away from the lane. In this case, the person behind the wheel is considered more of a passenger in the driver’s seat than the driver of the vehicle.
To implement the third level of autonomous piloting, Mercedes-Benz uses its own Mercedes Drive Pilot technology, but it, as expected, works with a number of limitations. The main drawback of this system is that it allows you to drive at a speed of no higher than 64 km / h – at higher speeds, the car simply will not allow you to activate unmanned driving. Accordingly, in most situations, the technology will be used only for driving within the city – in traffic jams, for example. Of course, this is far from the full level of autonomous driving, but the driver will be able to read the news or check email while the car is taking him to work or home.
At the same time, you can’t sleep at the wheel or forget about the lane for a long time – the system can check the person’s attention at any time by giving the command to take control. And if the driver does not respond to this requirement in any way within ten seconds, then the vehicle will be forcibly stopped. One can only hope that such stops do not harm other drivers in the stream, who are unaware that a car with a drone is driving in front of them, which can stop at any moment even in the middle of the highway.
Source: Trash Box
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
