Look ma, no hands

Some day, a computer may guide your car

June 4, 1996
Web posted at: 6:30 p.m. EDT

From Correspondent Dick Wilson

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- A futuristic car that virtually drives itself and can correct mistakes made by human drivers already is being road-tested.

The car, called NAVLab-5, is a prototype designed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University who have been building versions of the vehicle for 10 years.

NAVLab originally was designed to make commuting more entertaining, while allowing business people to be more efficient. Once installed, the system handles just about everything but braking.

Dean Pomerleau, a researcher on the NAVLab project, said his team initially became interested in creating the self-driving car to free drivers to do other things.

The computer system operates in conjunction with a camera installed below the car's rearview mirror. The camera focuses on a trapezoidal area of road 20 meters ahead of the vehicle, and the computer screen console, powered by a cigarette lighter, shows the driver what the car sees. (366K QuickTime movie)

While the apparatus now fits into sedans and minivans, it was not long ago that the experimental gear operated a military Hum-Vee. The computers and camera equipment were too cumbersome to outfit a standard vehicle.

The newer NAVLab also has a "watchdog" feature that allows the computer to alert a human driver to hazards. Pomerleau explained the computer's function as an extra set of eyes.

"These vehicles here are designed both for automated steering, like the Hum-Vee's, but also to monitor human driver performance, to warn them if they are going to get in an accident."

The cars use lane markings to alert drivers when any of the car tires cross into another lane. This element of the NAVLab system is said to be its most immediately marketable attribute.

NAVLab has been tested from Washington, D.C., to San Diego, California, and got mixed reviews.

There were some bugs in the program, but the computer mostly had trouble with the same elements that trouble human drivers, including driving at night and in the rain.

Researchers predict it will be at least another 10 years before NAVLab is free of glitches, but the warning system could be marketed in less than two years. Ideal potential clients are trucking companies, because trucks have high accident rates.

"One in four heavy trucks are involved in this kind of accident within their operational lifetime. So it would be a monetary win for trucking companies if we could sell it to them for $2,000."

The automated driving system ultimately could make roads safer, driving easier and commuting less frustrating.

Related sites:

• Carnegie Mellon University
• NAVlab Home Page

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