Honda will introduce its Augmented Driving Concept to address the cultural transition to autonomous drive vehicles at CES 2020.
In the autonomous drive future, Honda believes that customers will be able to enjoy mobility in new ways when freed from the responsibility of driving. At the same time, customers may still want to experience the emotion and thrill of driving.
Honda’s Augmented Driving Concept features a seamless transition from autonomous to semi-autonomous driving operation. To respond quickly to the user’s curiosity, the autonomous driving system is constantly on standby, ready to intervene and control the vehicle when needed.
The driving system changes between automatic and manual mode with a switch, and features more than eight modes between fully autonomous and semi-autonomous operation. Various sensors in the vehicle continuously read the user’s intention to smoothly shift between these modes, creating an instinctive driving experience.
With its reinvented steering wheel, Honda’s Augmented Driving Concept offers new types of driving experiences. By patting the steering wheel twice, the vehicle will start. Pull the steering wheel and the vehicle will slow down; push the steering wheel and the vehicle will accelerate.
CES attendees can experience a simulated demonstration of the Augmented Driving Concept.
Honda will also showcase their Smart Intersection safety system and the latest developments regarding their SAFE SWARM technology. Using V2X technology, Honda SAFE SWARM allows vehicles to communicate with surrounding vehicles and share key information such as location and speed. With this information, along with the sensor suite on the vehicle, the driver or automated vehicle systems can determine the safest course of action to prevent collisions and reduce traffic congestion.
Over the past year, Honda has been evaluating SAFE SWARM in a real-world environment on the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor near the Honda R&D center in Ohio, and will show its progress in developing merge assist and lane optimization technologies.
Additionally, Honda will show a red light runner detection scenario of its “Smart Intersection” technology, which is currently being tested in a real-world environment in Marysville, Ohio. Traffic collisions at roadway intersections account for roughly 40 percent of all collisions and 20 percent of the nearly 35,000 traffic-related deaths in the U.S. each year. The “Smart Intersection” technology utilizes Honda’s proprietary object recognition software in conjunction with intersection-mounted cameras and V2X communications. This enables cars to virtually see through and around buildings and walls in nearly all weather conditions to help identify and alert drivers to otherwise hidden hazards.
