Nissan is one of the most dedicated manufacturers when it comes to autonomous vehicles. The Japanese brand is developing technologies that allow cars to drive themselves. The technology is almost ready to be introduced on the current cars, as the next demonstration shows.
European Council President Donald Tusk had a front-seat view to Nissan’s ProPilot autonomous drive technology during the G7 summit in Ise-shima, Japan.
The prototype vehicle, based on the Nissan LEAF, a 100-percent electric vehicle, was equipped with special features such as a millimeter wave radar, laser scanners, cameras, and a specialized HMI (Human Machine Interface) to support autonomous driving.
The G7 Summit autonomous vehicle demonstration allowed President Tusk to experience how ProPilot technology could navigate roads, incorporating two innovative functionalities. The first, aminiature, is a high-spec laser scanner that determines the distance between the vehicle and its surroundings through precise three-dimensional measurements enabling navigation in tight spaces.
The second is an eight-way, 360-degree view camera system for accurate routing decisions at intersections and on sharp curving roads. The technologies were tested on roads and highways in Japan and the United States earlier this year.
Nissan will introduce the ProPilot autonomous drive technology in a model in Japan later this year, and then expand availability to Europe, United States and China. ProPilot 1.0 can be used in congested highway traffic conditions.
By 2018, the company plans to implement a multiple-lane, ProPilot autonomous drive technology that allows highway lane change, while by 2020, the new technology will facilitate driving on urban roads, including intersections.
