Ford is expanding its Co-Pilot360 assistance system with hands-free driving.
Actually, the first automated cars at Ford should be in next year roll off the assembly line, yes corona made a dash in this calculation. For this, Ford will use its partial autonomy system to drive without that steering wheel extended to touch.
Active Drive Assist. Source Ford
As of next year, the system should be Partial autonomy from ford, Co-Pilot360, to be enriched with another feature. This feature is called “Active Drive Assist” and works on 100,000 miles of already mapped routes on the US and Canada motorways.
It’s about driving without your hands on the wheel. The system implies an autonomous emergency brake, a warning for the blind spot, a lane departure warning system, a reversing camera and automatic high-beam control. Furthermore, the system has a cross traffic warning, a front accident warning at the AEB, a reverse brake assistant and a reverse detection system.
The system monitors the travelers with a Infrared camerathat checks the driver’s head position and gaze. This also works if you wear sunglasses. The debut is used in the Mustang Mach-E. Starting next year, vehicles with the appropriate sensors can also purchase the feature via a software update. This should be possible from autumn 2021.
Ford advertises the comfort of this system, which allows you to take your hands off the steering wheel. Still, you have to focus on traffic. A visual warning prompts you to do so if you look elsewhere distractedly. Even when it is time for the handover, a visual indication appears on the instrument panel. If you do not follow the request, the car slows down.
Ford tested the concept extensively, as is emphasized – even under adverse ones Weather conditions like snow, rain and darkness.
About David Fluhr
I have been writing about autonomous & connected driving since 2011 and also report on it on other sites, such as the Smart Mobility Hub. I studied social sciences at HU Berlin and have been a freelance journalist since 2012. Contact: mail@autonomes-fahren.de