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11th March 1999, Page 27
11th March 1999
Page 27
Page 27, 11th March 1999 — SMART CARS
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On long car journeys, the Hawk has often wished he could stick the old Reliant Robin on automatic pilot and sit back with his thermos and sarnies, admiring the view. If researchers in Germany put their foot down, this idyllic scenario might move beyond the realms of fantasy. The co-pilot they are testing now is able to take charge of the throttle, brakes and steering. It can negotiate urban traffic and can even indicate when it needs to change lanes. All the human driver has to do to take back control is to place his hands on the wheel.

This intelligent car is being developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Information and Data Processing in Karlsruhe. Using two microprocessors it works out where the car is at any time in relation to the edges of the road and to other cars. The co-pilots' engineer, Frank Heimes, says it will be a while before we see these vehicles on the road because the electronics are too bulky to fit into today's cars. Oh well, for now, at least, back to the steering wheel...


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