General Motors, one of the largest American automakers, has introduced the first mass-produced UAV called the Cruise AV. The car is built on the basis of the Chevrolet Bolt electric car and is completely devoid of the steering wheel and pedals, and in general any manual control.
General Motors claims that the serial production of such cars will begin in 2019. At the moment, the concern is actively testing its unmanned vehicles, which are being tested in San Francisco, Detroit and Phoenix. Cruise CEO Kyle Fogh commented, "Electric self-driving cars will save millions of lives and significantly accelerate the global economy's transition to sustainable energy, but only when they are produced in large quantities."
The unmanned vehicle Cruise AV is equipped with optical LiDAR rangefinders, as well as 21 radars and 16 video cameras to help you navigate in space. The electronics are fully responsible for the operation of the steering, accelerator and braking system - specially developed software for fourth-generation drones.
General Motors plans to test 2,500 of these vehicles in at least seven American states.
Promotional video:
GM notes that it has already submitted a request to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to use the Cruise AV on public roads. However, there is still an obstacle to the movement of such vehicles on the roads. NHTSA regulations require modern vehicles to be fitted with a driver's airbag in the steering wheel.
In the case of the Cruise AV, which has no steering wheel, the problem is obvious. As a way out of the situation, GM proposes to install the same pillow instead of the necessary one in the steering wheel, but in the dashboard on the driver's side.
The Americans say that their autonomous electric vehicles not only detect objects around them, but also predict their further movement. They correct their path ten times a second, while building several potential trajectories at once. Experiments on the roads in San Francisco and Phoenix showed that for every thousand miles, cars made maneuvers several hundred times to overtake someone or go around an obstacle, turn at an intersection or let an ambulance pass, or go around an emergency section marked by cones.
The concern's specialists do not say anything about the possible sale of fully autonomous electric cars to individual private owners. It is assumed that such cars will be delivered to the car sharing network. Subscribers of the network will be able to call drones through a smartphone, get to a given point and just drop the car there. She will immediately accept the next person's call (the problem of automatic charging is completely solvable).
Thus, cars will be less idle in parking lots, the initiators of the project argue. And this will reduce the number of parking spaces needed in cities. Avoiding personal transport in favor of such insects will also, hypothetically, reduce the total number of cars on the roads. And this is a plus for both safety and ecology.
General Motors Cruise AV Short Video Review:
