admin Entitled as ‘Follow the Vehicle’ project, Škoda and the VŠB – the Technical University of Ostrava in the Czech Republic, are teaming up to design driving assistance systems. The objective of the project is to have autonomous cars successfully follow a manned lead vehicle. Škoda has expressed this technological advancement as the advent of the ‘two cars, one driver’ era.
Technical Ingenuity behind the Project
The system will work effectively as it will have a lead vehicle that is controlled and driven by a human. This will enable control over the speed, route and other driving parameters. The autonomous vehicle-although unmanned-will have all the prerequisite steering input and acceleration parameters transmitted to it through the radio. This communication between the two vehicles will be ensured by the car-to-X technology. The distance between the lead and autonomous vehicle can be up to 10 meters. Both cars will be provided with a digital code prior to the commencement of the journey. Protocols and data of operation will be transmitted using ETSI ITS-G5, and the 4G, LTE and 5G mobile networks. Retro-fitted sensors will enable the vehicles to identify 3D objects and images. The installed state-of-the-art system in the autonomous vehicle will monitor the prevailing traffic conditions in real time as well as the car’s immediate surroundings.
Exciting Future of the Automobile Industry
Christian Strube, Škoda Auto Board Member for Technical Development propounded, “Follow the Vehicle showcases our current assistance systems’ high technical standard and impressively illustrates the opportunities these systems are capable of unlocking when combined with other relevant technologies in the field of autonomous driving. The project also enables us to commit to our role as a promoter of technical education in the Czech Republic.” This collaborative endeavour would be difficult to achieve without the support of the Technical University of Ostrava. Professor Václav Snášel, Rector of the VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava remarked, “Autonomous driving requires a multidisciplinary approach, and by actively working together, we have established principles and effective alliances between experts from the university and from Škoda Auto’s development department. We believe that we will intensify this collaboration further in future, promoting professional development while also involving new, young researchers, from whom the Czech automotive industry will benefit.” The dream of autonomous cars is soon going to become a tangible reality with such laudable breakthroughs of technical brilliance.
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