Jaguar Land Rover has showcased a raft of self-driving technology for future models, including a Range Rover Sport that can be driven remotely using a smartphone, and autonomous ‘Multi-Point Turn’ tech that can negotiate a 180-degree turn without assistance.
Designed for low-speed manouvers and off-roading, the remote driving system uses a connected smartphone with an app that allows full control of the steering, brakes and accelerator at speeds up to 4mph. JLR claims the feature will allow owners to negotiate challenging situations, such as tight car parks or hazardous terrain, without ever having to set foot in the car.
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The system won’t allow you to navigate your car off down the street while you sit at home, because it requires you to be within 10 metres of the vehicle at all times to remain in range of the Bluetooth signal. It’s said that the system could be further adapted to autonomously perform tasks from a signal command, like the self-parking system seen in the new BMW 7-Series.
Further to this is a new system that allows the car to negotiate 180-degree turns autonomously and set off in the opposite direction. It’s designed to negate the difficulty of the dreaded three-point turn, spinning the car round by itself when required in dead-end roads or car park situations. The feature uses already installed sensors to scan the area around the car and informs the driver if it is safe to make the manouvre, before taking control of gear selection and driving.
Developed by JLR’s UK-based research team, the advanced technology is already being trialled in real-world situations and could appear on production models in the next few years. JLR claims that rather than forcing fully self-driving tech on the public, it will offer “the choice of an engaged or autonomous drive” with the system taking over when prompted to perform more tedious tasks.
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