Cars Driving Themselves

Ananova reports that Honda has released a selfdriving car.

The article's information is so compact, I see no point in summarizing it. I'll just copypaste the whole thing here for your reading pleasure:

Car drives itself

A car that drives itself has been launched.

The Honda Accord ADAS automatically speeds up and slows down - and even steers around bends.

All the driver has to do is gently nudge the wheel every 10 seconds reports the Mirror.

Honda spokesman Graham Avent said: "The Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) doesn't replace the driver - you can't climb into the back seat for a nap! But it keeps you in your lane and at a safe speed on motorways.

"It makes long journeys much less tiring and will prevent some accidents by reducing driver error. It's the biggest step forward in safety since the airbag."

ADAS only works on motorways and dual carriageways, but Honda bosses hope that future models could drive on any road.

The car works by using two main components. The Adaptive Cruise Control is a radar sensor behind the Honda badge in the front of the car that scans ahead for other vehicles. It then speeds up or slows down accordingly. It also has a Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS) - a camera next to the rear-view mirror which watches the white lines and controls steering.

The £25,880 Accord goes on sale in March with all Hondas due to have ADAS by 2016.

Vauxhall hopes to have a self-drive Vectra on the road by 2011.

Autoexpress.co.uk has reported on this a few months ago. Read their article here.

Also worthy of your attention: a previous post of mine regarding autonomous cars racing a 130 mile race.

And then there's General Motor's intention of releasing selfdriving vehicles in 2008.