Driverless Cars: A Glimpse Of The Future

Published on August 15, 2007 WCCO

(WCCO) Maple Grove, Minn. Airplanes use auto pilot already to fly you to your destination, so why not build cars so they can drive by themselves too?

On Wednesday in Maple Grove, there was a glimpse of that future: A car that drives itself.

Two companies in the Twin Cities, Comtrol Corporation of Maple Grove, Minn. and SICK of Bloomington, Minn., helped develop the car.

There are plenty of gizmos and gadgets in the car, including GPS and a radar that helps create the artificial intelligence needed to make the car work.

Sensors on the bumper detect what's ahead. A camera on the hood sees lane markings and they all feed information to nine computers inside a car called Lone Wolf.

"Most people want it so that they can get a ride home after they've had a few drinks," said Grayson Randall of Insight Racing.

During a demonstration the car was told, via computer, to circle a Maple Grove parking lot five times. While it took itself for a spin, Lisa Kiava tested if it could stop for pedestrians by stepping in front of it. On its own, it stopped about eight feet in front a person in its path.

The real test will be on the battlefield. Just eight years from now, the military wants 30 percent of its vehicles to be driverless so fewer soldiers will die from dangers, like roadside bombs.

However, the technology isn't quite there yet. Robot cars can't handle urban roadways.

"Rush hour might be a little difficult especially the dynamtics of someone slamming on their brakes in front of you or cutting you off, that sort of thing," said Bradford Beale, the vice president of Comtrol Corporation. So bad drivers will be a problem even for a robot car, for now.

The Defense Department is encouraging development of robotic vehicles by organizing a series of national competitions. The Lone Wolf competes for $2 million in the final race in November.