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Self-Driving Cars: Back Off Google, Here Comes Mercedes

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Last week I wrote about Google’s Self-Driving Car system and it seems that they are not the only ones aiming to make autonomous driving concepts a reality. Now, Mercedes Benz is upping the ante and their self-driving vehicle seems more polished as a concept car, but how does it compare against the programing skills of Google’s

team? The 2015 Consumer Electronic Show Las Vegas (CES) is in full swing and all the major firms are introducing this year’s upcoming products as well as concepts that might never see the production line. Today, Mercedes introduced the F 015 self-driving vehicle that as Mercedes states, “focuses on luxury and the user’s experience”. The F 015 truly looks like a car of the future resembling a vehicle from the film, Minority Report with six touch and gesture controlled screens, an electric hybrid engine, automated driving and outside lighting schemes.

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The vehicle operates in the same way as Google’s system in that it uses G.P.S. and outside sensors to detect the surrounding environment allowing it to make decisions just as a driver would. While Google seems focused on the development aspect of an autonomous vehicle, Mercedes seems to be thinking ahead as to how self-driving vehicles will affect our social interaction when riding with others. Due to this change, all four seats are adjustable to face each other while maximizing space, and each seat offers access to one of six touch screen interfaces. While it is true that self-driving vehicles will change the way we interact with vehicles, passengers and our travel time, it will still require massive adoption by drivers to alter the way we interact with the driving experience. When this happens, Mercedes will be ahead of the curve.

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Will 2015 be the year of self-driving vehicles? I certainly hope so and our safety alone will benefit as roughly 33,000 people die every year from automobile accidents. After my snowy Ohio drive to the office, my final questions are how will the vehicle handle road hazards such as rain, snow, and ice? Will the sensors be able to account for black ice and can the vehicles computer actually feel the road like a person can? Both Google and Mercedes have a lot of usability testing to do for now and until then, I’ll be saving up my money for the future. Watch the videos below to experience the F 015 for yourself.

Check it out on Mercedes site here.

Video

Here is a link to Google’s Automated vehicle here.


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