Audi self-driving tech acts like humans

Audi has released details of its latest autonomous driving technology that now incorporates a self-learning capability.

The new self-driving concept, based on an Audi A7, is said to replicate human behaviour behind the wheel to such an extent researchers have nicknamed the car ‘Jack’.

Said to drive far more naturally than other car-maker’s autonomous vehicles, the A7 concept is claimed to copy others drivers.

The biggest difference between the A7 and other self-driving cars is the Audi is claimed to show more consideration for other road users.

This involves, says the car-maker, leaving a larger gap when passing trucks, signalling lane changes by indicating while moving closer to the lane markings before completing the manoeuvre and accelerating or braking to make room to let other drivers into traffic.

The new system works by incorporating a larger degree of artificial intelligence into the software.

The A7 is also reliant on new high-performance processors that help model the surrounding area enabling the computers to predict the future, or at least other drivers’ behaviour.

As well as the new concept, Audi has also announced it is working with the German government to develop car-to-car and car-to-road infrastructure communication.

The first test site, the A9 autobahn north of Munich, will help the car-maker test its autonomous cars in real conditions and experiment with technology that digitally transfers information from signs to the car.

This could include permission to use the emergency lane, if the highway is blocked, live traffic and accident updates, as well as hazards, like livestock in the road.

Car-to-car communication, meanwhile, is being developed that shares traffic updates and accident information reported by other users, as well as driving speeds. This data is then used to recalculate an alternative route to a destination, if needed.

Finally, the A9 will also gain new roadside posts that are designed to reflect radar signals from travelling cars from a great distance. This single change is claimed to help self-driving cars position themselves on the road more accurately within lanes.

Audi is also experimenting changing the road surfacing to a more reflective material as another solution to help improve the accuracy and safety of autonomous vehicles, with a new trial set to being in Audi’s home city on Ingolstadt in 2017.