‘Autonomous Urban Drive’ on show

The push towards autonomous cars continues with Jaguar Land Rover providing us with an update today on its Autonomous Urban Drive.

The British car companies have released the video below showing that cars fitted with the tech can operate autonomously through a city, obeying traffic lights as well as negotiating T-junctions and roundabouts.

Jaguar Land Rover tell us they want their vehicles to be able to achieve ‘level four’ autonomy within the next decade.

This would see its cars and SUVs be able to operate independently in specific environments such as urban environments or motorways, without any driver intervention.

Engineering Research boss at Jaguar Land Rover, Tony Harper, says the technology is very exciting.

“We aren’t looking at simply replacing the driver, and making cars ‘driverless’.

“Future technologies will give the driver more not less – they will assist and ultimately enhance the driving experience.”

The Five Levels of Autonomy for Cars:

Level 0 – No Automation

There is no automation, the driver is in sole control of the vehicle.

Level 1 – Driver Assistance

The driver has assistance for one function e.g. cruise control.

Level 2 – Partial Automation

The driver has assistance for two functions e.g. speed and steering such as Traffic Jam Assist.

Level 3 – Conditional Automation

The car undertakes normal driving functions autonomously in a specific environment but the driver may be required to retake control if the environment is too challenging.

Level 4 – High Automation

The car can operate independently in specific environments such as urban environments or motorways, without any driver intervention.

Level 5 – Full Automation

No human control of the vehicle is needed. The vehicle can complete a journey without any human intervention.

In related news, Volvo is trialing a fully-automated rubbish truck and research finds autonomous cars will benefit disabled, young and older people.