Hannover, April 2, 1995
Under the project name VITA II (Vision Technology Application), Daimler Benz Research has developed an electronic auto-pilot which can brake, accelerate, and steer.All the information required by the system is obtained from video cameras attached to the vehicle. These cameras monitor traffic activity by sampling the areas in front of, behind, and to the rear of the car twelve times every second. In this way, the on-board microcomputer can follow the course of the road and simultaneously evaluate whether the research car is on collision course with another vehicle. The VITA system recognizes cars or trucks up ahead by their characteristic lines, shapes, and shadows. Using this information, the computer continuously calculates the direction and speed of the other vehicles, as well as how far away they are. This information is assigned to "degree of danger" categories so that the safest path can be calculated.
The video cameras enable the computer to recognize and store traffic sign information encountered along the roadway in its electronic memory. This ensures that the auto-pilot complies with no-overtaking and speed limit restrictions.
After the driver has initiated an automatic overtaking maneuver using the turn signal, the computer first checks that the adjacent lane is free. It does this via the vehicle's side cameras. At the same time it receives an up-to-date report on the traffic situation behind the vehicle, courtesy of the rear camera. The computer then checks its stored data to see if it has registered any no-overtaking traffic signs on this stretch of road. In response to the "all clear" from all the cameras, the steering wheel begins to turn as if by magic, and the research car "ghosts" past the other vehicle.
VITA technology will make traffic safer. Since the system rapidly reacts to the entire traffic environment, it will be possible to prevent a large percentage of traffic accidents. Moreover, even long before the introduction of automatically controlled automobiles, VITA II will be contributing to the task of making driving easier - and safer.
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