While today's global auto giants are investing billions of dollars to be the first to get closer to autonomous self-driving cars, Honda Motor Co. took the lead in this fierce tech race, claiming to have developed the world 's first Level 3 self-driving vehicle, the eyesoff.
Presentation of the Honda Legend "Traffic Jam Pilot".
In April 2020, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) of Japan made partial amendments to the law on road vehicles, thanks to which cars of the 3rd level of autonomy with the Traffic Jam Pilot system (the new model of the Honda Legend is just about this) got the opportunity to enter the market and will soon decorate highways and multi-lane highways of the land of the rising sun.
In fact, the development of Honda is unlikely to become a big news lead for auto specialists, because similar developments have been reported by other major automakers in the past. For example, the 2017 Audi A8 would allow self-driving thanks to the Traffic Jam Pilot (here, with loud statements about its world's first product, Honda got excited). However, there is one catch. The fact is that states impose legislative restrictions on the operation of cars of the 3rd level of autonomy, as a result of which the system is not introduced into flagship models and is not allowed to mass production. And the fact that the Japanese authorities have legalized this self-driving technology is significant news for both Honda and the future of self-driving cars in general.
What is this drone of yours?
To understand what driving opportunities the new Honda model will give its owner, it is worth understanding how the level of autonomy is determined and what is generally understood by the word “autonomy” in the context of the car's capabilities.
An unmanned vehicle is equipped with software that controls the operation of all vehicle systems and sensors that collect information about the space. This symbiosis allows you to move around without human intervention.
The system of sensors (sensors) includes:
- several cameras, incl. infrared for night vision
- lidar (scanning the area with laser beams)
- radar (detects the location of objects through radio waves)
- GPS
- odometry sensors (wheel speed measuring device)
Of course, the technology is built on AI algorithms, which learn, notice errors and increase their efficiency as more data is received. During operation, the system accumulates information about traffic situations and reports it to a remote processing center. He, in accordance with the lessons learned, updates all other systems built into the car of this model.
How to become an autonomous car: step by step instructions
The unmanned vehicle classification has been developed by SAE International, a worldwide association of over 128,000 engineers and technical experts. SAE identifies six levels of automation.
Level 0 - here the driver fully takes over the steering, speed regulation, determining the moment of lane change, turning, etc. The driver himself controls his car and monitors the roadway, reacts to various non-standard situations, for example, at a confluence of roads.
Level 1 cars can adjust their speed independently depending on how neighboring cars are moving and braking. SAE does not classify cars of this level as unmanned vehicles, because the main tasks of driving still lie on the shoulders of the driver.
It may seem that level 2 is a full-fledged autopilot, but according to SAE it is still partial automation. Let's take a look at Tier 2 capabilities using Autopilot at Tesla and Super Cruise at General Motors. Cars can independently change speed, brake, control the steering wheel. However, the systems are imperfect, there are a number of circumstances in which the system is not able to correctly read external conditions and independently manage transport. In both models, the driver must be alert and take over control at any second if necessary.
In order to keep the driver's attention on the road, even when it seems that the car is completely independent, the developers go to various tricks. For example, Tesla asks that the driver's hands are always on the steering wheel of the car and monitors this through special sensors. If the driver removes his hands for more than 30 minutes, a visual and audible warning will follow, if the driver does not react in any way, the system will stop. The system in General Motors does not require the driver to keep their hands always on the steering wheel. Instead, the system detects the position of the driver's head. If his gaze is not directed to the road, the system activates warnings: the blinking of the light on the steering wheel, acoustic signals and vibration of the chair.
Now we propose to consider the possibilities of the 3rd levelautonomy, which seems to be the most relevant in the context of the modern news agenda. Is it correct to classify such a system as an unmanned vehicle? No matter how it is ... In the 2nd level , constant attention of the driver is required, truly automated SAE calls the systems of the 4th level , and the 3rd marks a kind of transition: the system can take over control when driving in a traffic jam or slow the flow of vehicles at speeds up to 60 km / h, while the driver will be in “reserve” and can safely take his foot off the pedal, and his hands off the steering wheel and distract his attention, for example, on the car's on-board TV or his smartphone.
Such models face restrictions not only from the legislation of different countries. Lawyers of many car companies fear that if a car with the 3rd level of autopilot ends up in an accident, the burden of responsibility will in any case fall on the manufacturer (it is for this reason that Volvo abandoned such developments).
The T raffic Jam Pilot , which is integrated in both the Audi A8 and the new Honda Legend, includes a series of safety checks:
- monitoring the driver, the system reads the number of head turns and blinks; if the “brain of the car” suspects that the driver is asleep, it will wake him up with the help of various acoustic signals, otherwise the car will stop.
- , , ( 360°).
The system of the 4th level of autonomy "mind off" allows the driver to completely leave his seat and go to bed, for example. If the system foresees that it will find itself in areas where it is unable to drive, it will notify the driver in advance. Surprisingly, there are already such developments (from Google, Uber or domestic Yandex). However, the prototypes of the 4th level of autonomy faced a number of problems. One of the main ones: the movement of such cars is strictly limited to a given route - the system can only move around the terrain where it is trained in this, with which it is familiar.
A drone from Yandex.
5th level- fully automatic control system. It is assumed that the only task that the driver will face is to enter these addresses into the navigation system, and the smart car, regardless of weather conditions, traffic conditions, etc., will take passengers to their destination. Steering wheels, pedals, etc. in this transport will be absent due to the lack of utilitarian benefits.
The notorious Elon Musk made a statement that the basic functionality for such an unmanned vehicle will be ready by this year. Many analysts are extremely pessimistic about this statement and believe that years of research are still on the way to a full drone.
Countries are not ready for such a turn
The new Honda Legend will be available on March 31, 2021. Its price will be 10 million yen - that's $ 95,000, which is 40% higher than a similar model without autopilot capabilities. At the moment, it is reported that it will only be available in Japan.
One of the main obstacles to widespread adoption of Level 3 drones is the lack of well-defined safety rules that these vehicles must follow. More than 50 countries, including Germany, Canada, the European Union, South Korea and Japan have signed agreements that will regulate where and under what conditions autonomous vehicles are allowed. But at the moment, only Japan is ready to start applying the rules drawn up in practice.
, ? Honda?
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