Skip to main content

Bosch takes first steps to autonomous driving

High-performance assistance systems, which control speed and the distance between vehicles, already help drivers reach their destinations safely and more comfortably. They also warn drivers of traffic jams and help them maneuver into even the tightest of parking spaces. Automotive technology and services supplier Bosch is set to expand its future range of driver assistance technology with systems will take on a growing role in guiding vehicles through traffic jams. More specifically, they will brake, accele
February 1, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
High-performance assistance systems, which control speed and the distance between vehicles, already help drivers reach their destinations safely and more comfortably. They also warn drivers of traffic jams and help them maneuver into even the tightest of parking spaces.

Automotive technology and services supplier 311 Bosch is set to expand its future range of driver assistance technology with systems will take on a growing role in guiding vehicles through traffic jams. More specifically, they will brake, accelerate, and steer completely autonomously. The traffic jam assistant will operate in most stop-and-go traffic situations, when the vehicle is moving at speeds between 0 and 50 kilometres per hour.

According to German motor club ADAC, the total length of tailbacks in Germany alone amounted to 405,000 kilometres in 2011. “The traffic jam assistant helps drivers arrive more relaxed at their destination, even in dense traffic,” says Gerhard Steiger, president of the Bosch Chassis Systems Control division.

The first generation of the traffic jam assistant is expected to enter series production in 2014. In the following years, the feature will be enhanced to cover ever-faster speeds and more complex driving situations. Eventually, the traffic jam assistant will serve as a highway pilot, making fully autonomous driving a reality.

Adaptive cruise control already tracks the vehicles ahead and adapts the distance and speed of the driver’s own vehicle accordingly.

Combining the Bosch electronic stability program (ESP) with the additional support of lane-detection cameras and electromechanical steering forms the technical basis for autonomous driving. High-performance software calculates the appropriate driving instructions for safer and less stressful driving. Automatic lane changing is the next step. It calls for two additional features; a rear-mounted radar sensor that also detects fast-approaching vehicles and a dynamic navigation map. Such maps, which operate via a mobile network connection, can keep drivers informed of current roadwork sites and local speed restrictions.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • In-vehicle intersection violation Warning system
    January 31, 2012
    Mike Schagrin, ITS Joint Program Office, RITA, and John Harding, NHTSA, describe US progress towards an in-vehicle Intersection Violation Warning system. In 2008, there were 37,261 fatalities on US roadways. Of these, 7,772, some 20.8 per cent of the total, were defined as intersection crashes or intersection-related crashes. Through a multi-agency research initiative led by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has developed a prototype In
  • Healthy growth projected for driver assistance systems market
    September 22, 2014
    The value of the blind spot detection system market is projected to grow US$2.8 billion and adaptive cruise control system market to grow US$6.1 Billion by 2019 at a healthy CAGR of 22.8 per cent and 16.9 per cent respectively from 2014 to 2019, according to the latest report from Research and Markets. The report, Blind Spot Detection (BSD) System and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) System Market for Passenger Cars; by Geography - Trends and Forecasts 2014-2019, says that automotive adaptive cruise contr
  • euroFOT study demonstrates benefits of driver assistance systems
    June 26, 2012
    Today, the euroFOT consortium published the findings of a four-year study focused on the impact of driver assistance systems in the Europe. The €22 million (US$27.5 million) European Field Operational Test (euroFOT) project which began in June 2008 and involved 28 companies and organisations, was led by Aria Etemad from Ford’s European Research Centre in Aachen, Germany. The study looked at existing technologies and their potential to both enhance safety and reduce environmental impact. euroFOT also reveale
  • Driverless vehicles just around the corner?
    February 28, 2013
    umors that self-driving taxis are about to hit the streets of Las Vegas have turned out to be untrue… but the age of the driverless vehicle is only just around the corner, as Pete Goldin finds out. From Herbie the Love Bug to Knight Rider to the cast of the Pixar film Cars, the autono­mous auto has long been a beloved icon in the entertainment industry. But how close is the fiction to fact? The general public might be surprised to find out just how soon autonomous vehicles could be driving on our roadways.