Volvo to test self-driving cars

Swedish carmaker to test autonomous cars in 2011, with public use possible in just five years
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Cars that drive themselves could be just five years away according to Volvo's senior technical advisor at the Volvo Cars Safety Centre, Thomas Broberg.

During a recent presentation of the Volvo S60's pedestrian detection and braking system in Melbourne, Broberg confirmed that Volvo will begin trialling a new car 'following' system in 2011. The system would involve one lead car "driven by a professional" behind which several automated cars would follow closely, allowing the drivers of following cars to take their hands away from the wheel.

"Next year we will try this automated system on private roads and then public roads... We think this technology could be five to 10 years away," Broberg told the Carsales Network

The project is called Safe Road Trains for the Environment (SARTRE). The system uses automated 'follow' cars have the capacity to tag along much more closely behind other cars, trucks and the like. Volvo claims it could "improve traffic flow and journey times, offer greater comfort to drivers, reduce accidents, and improve fuel consumption and hence lower CO2 emissions."

Broberg said that drivers could "catch up news and emails during the daily drive to work," instead of stressing out in stop-start traffic conditions.

Broberg wouldn't be drawn on whether the new SARTRE systems would be safer than cars being driven individually by human drivers, but did concede that they would be more predictable than cars being driven by individual drivers.

"The next step will be when cars communicate with each other and with infrastructure. When will that happen? Probably sooner rather than later," he opined.

"This leap will be driven by customer need. In the future there will be a need to stay in communication and when you get that platform and that infrastructure in place, then you can add safety technology into that. And I don't think we can even imagine what we're able to do with that," concluded Broberg.

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