New Smart Car: Using Laser and Camera Navigation

New Smart Car: Using Laser and Camera Navigation

According to recent reports from international media, Oxford University has introduced a new autonomous driving system that takes a completely different approach compared to Google's self-driving cars. This innovative vehicle is called RobotCarUK. It uses a 3D laser scanner and a camera mounted on the front to gather map data and compare it with the surroundings in real time.

If the car determines that it can safely drive in the current environment by analyzing the maps, it will alert the driver via an iPad installed on the dashboard. Currently, this system is being tested on the Nissan Leaf model from Nissan Motors, and it has already been successfully driven at speeds up to 40 mph.

"This car isn't fully autonomous," said Professor Paul Newman from the British Guardian. "But it knows when it's safe and when there's a risk, and then it assists the driver accordingly."

Unlike Google’s system, RobotCarUK doesn’t rely on GPS and works best in familiar environments. For daily commuters who follow the same route every day, this makes it a great fit. “Our cities haven’t changed much,” Newman explained. “So a robotic car will often come across a familiar road and ask the driver, ‘I know this road. Do you want me to drive?’”

RobotCarUK also offers some advantages over Google’s driverless cars. At present, the cost of building such a smart car is around £5,000 (about $7,760), but the research team at Oxford hopes to bring this down to just £100 (around $155) in the future.

From a technical standpoint, this system seems more practical, which could make it easier to gain approval for real-world use. “There's currently no clear law preventing these types of vehicles from hitting the road,” Newman noted. “In fact, this should be considered a more advanced driver assistance system.”

As autonomous technology continues to evolve, systems like RobotCarUK may play a key role in shaping the future of transportation, offering a balance between innovation and safety.

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