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Nissan has unveiled its most advanced driver assistance technology to date in a production car, capable of providing Level 3 driving automation. It will be available in the new Skyline model later this year. The system is the latest development under its ProPILOT system and will only be available in Japan for now.
It is designed to work on specific motorway roads and can allow the driver to release their hands from the wheel while the system is active. However, the driver must remain ready to retake control at any point.
The ProPILOT 2.0 is designed to operate once a destination has been inputted to the sat nav system. Then it uses information GPS data to detect when it has entered a suitable motorway or highway where the system can function. Once it is travelling on a multi-lane road, the car utilises a range of cameras, sonars, radars for 360-degree sensing along with a 3D high-definition mapping data that it compares to the car's position from the GPS data to understand its precise location on the road.
As the system relies on GPS data, it cannot operate in a tunnel where it would lose the GPS signal. Additionally, the ProPILOT 2.0 works only on clearly marked motorways. It cannot operate in scenarios with two-way traffic, on winding roads, merging lanes or through toll gates.
When the car detects a slower moving vehicle in front, and it is possible for it to overtake, the driver is prompted to place both hands on the wheel and activate the indicator. The car will then move lanes, and once it detects that it is safe for it to move back into its driving lane, it will seek confirmation from the driver before doing so. During operation, when the car requires the driver to retake control, it issues an alert in advance to ensure they are prepared.
Anything else?
This first step towards Level 3 driver assistance may seem limited in its operating parameters, but it highlights how much information is needed for this type of operation to work successfully. Just how long before such a system could be available in Ireland remains to be seen.