AUTONOMOUS CARS PREDICT AND DETECT
The technology works on the basis of two principles: prediction and detection. The system can predict actions by catching signs
that the driver’s brain is about to initiate a movement, such as turning the steering wheel or pushing the accelerator pedal. Once this prediction has been made, the control unit can instruct driver assist technologies to initiate the action more quickly than the driver can. This can improve reaction times and enhance manual driving. As well as predicting driver responses, the B2V
technology is also able to detect and evaluate driver discomfort. Whereas the predictive principle is linked to
providing automated assistance when the driver is in control, the detection principle is associated with autonomous control, learning about driver discomfort and deploying artificial intelligence to change the driving configuration or driving style when in autonomous mode in line with driver expectations. In this way, for example if the driver feels the speed is too high for the road conditions, the autonomous control system will detect this and slow down.
FROM MARS TO URBAN LANDSCAPES
Nissan has been working in partnership with the NASA Ames Research Center to explore the technology transfer potential of the space giant’s experience of autonomy on Mars Rover projects. The car manufacturer is using the
knowledge gained from NASA to develop collaborative networks of autonomous fleets in difficult city environments. Maarten Sierhuis, director of the
Nissan Research Center in Silicon Valley says: “Our goal is to deploy the technology to help third parties safely integrate a fleet of autonomous vehicles in unpredictable urban environments, for example ride sharing services, public transport or logistics and delivery services. The
final stage of our existing research agreement with NASA will bring us closer to that goal.” NASA sees the project as an
opportunity to take space research and deploy it in ways to bring benefits to society. “One of NASA’s strategic goals is to transfer the technology developed to advance NASA mission and programme objectives to broader commercial and social applications,” says Eugene Tu, NASA Ames director. “Using NASA’s work in robotics to
accelerate the deployment of autonomous mobility services is a perfect example of how the considerable work required to advance space exploration can also pioneer advances here on Earth.”
❱❱ The B2V system will be able to predict when an action is about to be taken and help do it more quickly while evaluating driver discomfort
❱❱ To read more on Nissan B2V technology, scan the QR code or visit
http://goo.gl.uRzvoA
IMPROVING THE AMBIANCE According to Nissan, the use of B2V technology isn’t just a matter of improving autonomy or delivering a safer driving experience, but also about improving the quality of time spent in the vehicle. Dr Lucian Gheorghe, senior innovation researcher
at the Nissan Research Center in Japan, is leading the B2V research efforts and says that the technology can be used for making adjustments to the internal environment of the vehicle. He sees the current research as being a catalyst for
more innovation inside the company’s vehicles for the foreseeable future. “The potential applications of the technology are
incredible. For example, the technology can use augmented reality to adjust what the driver sees and create a more relaxing environment,” he explains. Daniele Schillaci, an executive vice-president at
Nissan, sees the technology as being the antithesis of impersonal autonomy, being instead something that immerses the human more deeply in the driving experience. “When most people think about autonomous
driving, they have a very impersonal vision of the future, where humans relinquish control to the machines. Yet B2V technology does the opposite, by using signals from their own brain to make the drive even more exciting and enjoyable,” Schillaci says.
NISSAN INTELLIGENT MOBILITY B2V is part of the wider Nissan Intelligent Mobility programme, a set of research and development projects on autonomy, electrification and connectivity that has already established Nissan as being one of the main players in the new wave of connected autonomous vehicle (CAV) technology. Nissan is pursuing three routes towards changing
❱❱ Mars Rover autonomous
technology could help CAV fleets navigate urban complexities
28 /// Environmental Engineering /// March 2018
the concept of vehicles as we know them today. Intelligent driving is the route the company is taking towards autonomy, intelligent power is focused on electrification and intelligent integration aims to establish new roles for vehicles as an integral part of society that contributes to the improvement of people’s lives, beyond just being a mode of transport. EE
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