Renault's autonomous obstacle avoidance tech is as quick as a pro driver
The Renault Zoe equipped with autonomous systems can avoid obstacles as fast as a professional human driver
Renault has taken the next steps towards self-driving cars by revealing a new autonomous obstacle avoidance system.
The French brand claims it’s capable of matching professional drivers in test situations, and hopes it will improve safety in the future.
Demonstrated on a specially equipped Zoe electric car, nicknamed Callie, the technology can detect when an obstacle is approaching and automatically avoid it.
The system has been developed in California’s Silicon Valley, at Renault’s Open Innovation Lab. The brand collaborated with Stanford University’s Dynamic Design Lab to work on the finer points of the system.
The French manufacturer used professional drivers to perfect the technology, which was then benchmarked against them. It matched their efforts in most cases, an achievement that will likely provide reassurance to those still concerned about the safety of autonomous vehicles.
Renault is planning to have more than 15 models in its line-up with some form of autonomous technology by 2022, with this new obstacle avoidance technology being the next step towards that.
Simon Hougard, director of Renault Open Innovation Lab, said: “At Groupe Renault, we are focused on being an innovation leader in products, technology and design.
“Our innovation efforts aim to develop advanced autonomous driving technologies that consumers can trust will create a safer, more comfortable journey.”
