Experimental 'robot car' sees through fog

A Finnish research team is claiming a break-through in obstacle detection for the future's autonomous cars.

The VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland will demonstrate its latest development in autonomous car technology at 'RobotSENSE' in Ulm, Germany, on May 16. Installed in a Citroen playfully nicknamed 'Marilyn', the vehicle is equipped with a range of sensors including a new LiDAR system operating in a wavelength of 1550 nanometres, rather than the 905 nanometre wavelength of other LiDAR systems.

According to the research team behind Marilyn, the new LiDAR technology can pierce the curtain of droplets that constitute fog – a meteorological condition that hinders light and radar detection of pedestrians and other vehicles. With the LiDAR system mounted on its roof, Marilyn can also operate safely in snowy conditions, which is a critical factor for autonomous cars in Finland.

The LiDAR isn't the only point of difference that separates Marilyn from the other six robotic vehicles that will be present at RobotSENSE; VTT claims that its software is more effective at filtering 'point clouds' out of the data.

"Although Marilyn's vision is limited to roughly 30 metres in thick fog, the new LiDAR type allows the car to be driven slowly rather than having full stop," says Project Manager Matti Kutila of VTT's RobotCar Crew team.

Other means of detection fitted to Marilyn include conventional radar, but Kutila says radar is hamstrung by its limited ability to detect non-metallic objects. In combination with the LiDAR system, however, the radar contributes to a clearer picture of the road ahead and any obstacles in the path.

"Marilyn can also combine radar and LiDAR technologies by optimising the best aspects of the different sensors. This makes the automatic vehicle safer than a car driven by a person – although there are still lot of obstacles in development path, a major leap has been taken in the right direction," Kutila (pictured) was quoted as saying in a press release.

"We still have a long way to go on the journey towards 24/7 automated driving, but we are now a big leap closer to achieving our dream. If we think of this as a 42km marathon, we are now perhaps 10km closer to our goal."

For the RobotSENSE demonstration, Marilyn will drive through a tent filled with a bank of fog, hopefully avoiding a dummy placed strategically to demonstrate the inherent safety of the system. The fog created within the tent will be so dense, even human eyesight will not be able to detect the test dummy.

VTT's choice of 'Marilyn' for the car's nickname remains unexplained, but the Citroen is soon to be joined by another robotic car, which will be named 'Martti'. According to the research team, Martti will be able to select a route based on LiDAR and 'friction data' – presumably steering clear of black ice or other dangerous environmental conditions.