Here's a bit of an article from Risks Digest 13.81 which I thought
might be of interest to those who have sworked on Lucas Electrics:
[...]
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 92 12:01:21 CDT
From: sullivan@geom.umn.edu
Subject: NYT reports on Smart autos; on Computer graphics at trials
[...]
This issue (13Sep) also has a long article on "intelligent cars", discussing
infrared vision systems for night driving, an "autonomous" cruise control, and
collision avoidance. These are being investigated by the European Prometheus
project, and the article reports on tests made by Jaguar.
The infrared image would be displayed on a CRT or on a heads-up display on the
windshield. The new cruise control would attempt to keep two seconds behind
another car. Developers (at the British firm Lucas Automotive) say they chose
not to give it the ability to apply the brakes fully, so as not to scare
drivers. But they hope that "once people trust the computers to operate the
various functions on the car for them, they will then allow the computer to do
more for them in the future".
They do seem to be paying attention to the fact that (unlike fighter pilots)
drivers of these cars will not be specially trained: "the average guy must
drive the vehicle". Thus "company secretaries" have been testing the cars at
Jaguar.
The collision avoidance system is envisioned at the moment as only providing
warnings, not actually interfering with the driver. It might be able to warn
drivers who are dozing off.
The Europeans hope to have these systems available within 5 or 10 years;
American car companies admit they are a bit behind "because of all the
government subsidizing" in Europe.
-John Sullivan, The Geometry Center, Univ of Minnesota sullivan@geom.umn.edu
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