Volvo has revealed an innovative solution for delivering the next-generation of self-driving vehicles. By placing physical magnets within the infrastructure of designated stretch of road, it appears to offer a more accurate positioning solution of a vehicle over GPS, when driving in autonomous tests.
The research, which was co-financed by the Swedish Transportation Administration (Trafikyerket), is claimed to hold the future key for highly accurate autonomous driving. It's claimed that GPS, while being heavily used in research by other motor manufacturers, poses certain issues. During tests, Volvo found that GPS was poorly affected by adverse weather conditions and obstacles.
Turning the problem on its head, Volvo investigated the use of actual magnets being imbedded into the roadway. The results were impressive, according to Claes Tingvall, traffic safety director of the Swedish Transport Administration. "A large-scale implementation of road magnets could very well be part of Sweden's aim to pioneer technology that contributes to sustainable mobility," he said.
Indeed magnets provided Volvo with an 'invisible railway', offering road lane accuracy of less than one decimetre. "We have tested the technology at a variety of speeds and the results so far are promising", said Jonan Elmark, preventative safety leader at Volvo Car Group. The tests weren't carried out in a sterile laboratory, either. Volvo actually created a 100-metre test track outside Gothenburg to carry out its research. By using ferrite magnets placed 200mm under the test track, the test vehicles were guided using magnet field sensors.
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All of this research follows in the direction of Volvo's stated intention: to build a crash-free car that will 'refuse of be steered' into other objects. Indeed, Volvo's bold vision is that no one will be killed or injured in a new Volvo by 2020.