"Autopilot for highway" for $ 10,000

Not only Google is developing cars with autonomous control. California startup Cruise Automation said he was ready to release an upgrade kit for the car is much cheaper, Che Google: just $ 10 000. However, the possibility of such autopilot somewhat limited: the product RP-1 is positioned as "autopilot for highway».

Since yesterday, the company started receiving pre-orders for 50 sets of RP-1, promising to begin their installation in 2015. However, there is one subtlety: RP-1 currently only works on the Audi A4 and S4 (from 2012).

The description says that the driver must bring the car to the track, select the band, and then press the button - and the car will go on their own. RP-1 controls the gas and brake pedals and the steering wheel.



There is one more thing: the autopilot only works on a familiar road, where he had traveled at least once in the "manual" mode. The developers plan to add in the future the possibility of exchanging cards roads between cars. By the way, road Google robots are also able to travel only in familiar ways.

The driver, there are several options how to return control: for example, press the gas pedal or take the wheel.

Now continuing testing RP-1 California drive (namely, on the highway 101 and 280). The developers say that more needs 6-9 months of testing before the start of sales. In the future, the list of compatible vehicles will expand. Ideally, RP-1 can be installed on any car.

An example of RP-1 is surprising for several reasons. Firstly, it is designed in record time: a startup founded in November of 2013. Second, it has already begun selling, although not finished testing. And, in the end, rather low cost: for comparison, Google driverless car equipment worth about $ 100,000, that is much more expensive.

The main structural element RP-1 - a set of sensors that are mounted on the roof of the car. There's a camera, GPS-receiver and other tools. The device developed a group of engineers, mostly from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.



The computer is located in the trunk.



RP-1 does not work in rain, fog, at night.



Source: habrahabr.ru/post/227365/