09 Jan 2013

Audi and Toyota unveil latest autonomous cars

Car manufacturing giants, Toyota and Audi, have unveiled driverless cars at CES 2013.

Toyota featured its Lexus LS research car, while Audi displayed its Audi TTS research car, both of which contain technologies such as high-definition cameras, radars, infrared projectors and satellite-connected tools that could cut the number of car collisions and road-deaths.

The driverless vehicles won’t be on the market for years yet but Audi has already started testing its auto-piloted car on the highways of Nevada.

"Electronics are vital to our cars. Today's cars are rolling computers," Audi executive Wolfgang Duerheimer said at CES.

Audi has developed a compact laser scanner for autonomous vehicles that is small enough to fit into the grill of a car, and is designed to scan ahead and to the sides of a vehicle. Driverless cars, such as the one developed by Google, have typically relied on large, roof-mounted scanners.

Audi is also developing a circuit board to replace the larger computers often housed in the boots of today's autonomous vehicles.

• The growing use of advanced electronics in automotive safety systems, communications and entertainment prompted a record eight automakers to attend CES 2013, Las Vegas, alongside dozens of firms working on related products and services.

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