RESEARCHERS from the University of Warwick have been helping to develop improved technology which will soon allow self-driving cars to get onto motorways and highways much safer.
The researchers from WMG, which is part of the University, have helped to pioneer this technology as part of the AutopleX consortium.
The research uses roadside infrastructure and vehicle sensors to improve self-driving cars’ vision and perception skills, allowing them to travel on high-speed junctions more easily and safely.
WMG has built a demonstrator using the technology in a test vehicle to help create a better understanding of the environment around the car.
The research has cost £2.6million over the last three years and has been funded by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) and Innovate UK.
AutopleX also included Jaguar Land Rover, Yunex Traffic, Transport for West Midlands and National Highways.
WMG’s head of intelligent vehicles research, Prof Mehrdad Dianati, said: “As we see technology progressing closer towards fully autonomous cars, important research like this shows what the future of motoring might look like.
“Manoeuvres at high speed, like merging, can be especially difficult for self-driving cars, and this project has proven that these obstacles can be overcome”.
