Friday, November 18, 2016

Hyundai Rolls Out Autonomous Ioniq Concept Car at 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show

Hyundai has announced the introduction of the Autonomous Ioniq concept. The announcement came at a press conference preceding the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show. The Hyundai concept vehicle is one of the few self-driving cars in development to have a hidden LiDAR system in its front bumper instead of on the roof, which the company says makes it look “like any other car on the road and not a high school science project.”

Hyundai explained that the goal of the autonomous Ioniq concept was to keep the self-driving systems as simple as possible. To that end, this concept car’s smart cruise control’s forward-facing radar and lane-keep assist cameras are integrated with LiDAR technology. The hidden LiDAR system also allows the Autonomous Ioniq to detect the absolute position of surrounding vehicles and objects. Hyundai is also developing its own autonomous vehicle operating system, which the automaker says will require less computing power than competing systems, thus providing an affordable platform.

Hyundai Autonomous Ioniq Concept photo


In addition to the forward-facing radar, features of the Autonomous Ioniq include a 3-camera array that detects pedestrian proximity, lane markings, and traffic signals; a GPS antenna to determine the precise location of each vehicle; high-definition mapping data from Hyundai MnSoft; and a blind-spot detection radar. These features build upon the capabilities of the production Ioniq, which offers automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, smart cruise control, lane-departure warning, and rear cross-traffic assist. The vehicle also incorporates all autonomous controls into existing systems, to ensure a seamless transition from active to self-driving modes, Hyundai says.

Hyundai plans to debut two Autonomous Ioniqs at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, where the cars will be found driving on the streets of Las Vegas, demonstrating their ability to handle heavy pedestrian traffic, school zones, traffic control signals, construction zones, road blocks, speed bumps, unrestrained pets, children, uncontrolled intersections, and high-accident areas such as shopping centers.

Hyundai is currently testing three autonomous Ioniq vehicles and two Autonomous Tucson Fuel Cell vehicles at Hyundai Research and Development Center in Namyang, South Korea.

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