Temporary Auto Pilot

Every road accident is one too many. Rules and laws about driving and using roads can be tightened, and passive safety can be increased to protect the driver and passengers. Both help, but accident free mobility would be even better. That might seem like a utopian dream, but it is in fact more real than many imagine. At the final presentation of an EU research project, Volkswagen presented the Temporary Auto Pilot (TAP) which, according to Prof. Dr. Jürgen Leohold, Executive Director Volkswagen Group Research, is “an important milestone on the path towards accident-free mobility”. Monitored by the driver, with TAP it is possible to drive semi-automatically up to a speed of 130 kilometers per hour on motorways. The system bundles its own remarkable abilities with present-day driver assistance systems such as ACC adaptive cruise control and the Lane Assist lane-keeping system. “This brings us a big step forward”, says Leohold. “But the driver always retains driving responsibility.”

Avoiding hazards, preventing errors

The Temporary Auto Pilot is a flexible system that offers the driver an optimal degree of automation as a function of the driving situation – traffic density, route, traffic regulations – and therefore prevents accidents due to driving errors by an inattentive or distracted driver.

Once the driver has selected the semi-automatic driving mode – referred to as Pilot Mode, for short – TAP maintains a safe distance to the vehicle ahead, drives at a speed selected by the driver, reduces this speed as necessary before a bend and maintains the vehicle’s central position with respect to lane markers. The system also observes overtaking rules and speed limits. Stop and start driving maneuvers in traffic jams are also automated. With TAP it is possible to drive at speeds of up to 130 kilometers per hour on motorways or similar roads. Drivers must still continually focus their attention on the road, so that they can intervene in safety-critical situations at any time. And TAP gives the driver plenty of leeway – right down to overriding or deactivating the system.

In contrast to previous research vehicles like Junior and Stanley, the TAP developers at Volkswagen had access to a great deal of experience and plenty of existing hard- and software. Extensive use was, for instance, made of production-level radar-, camera- and ultrasonic-based sensors. The laser scanner and the electronic horizon, on the other hand, are new developments.

International cooperation for EU research project

The Temporary Auto Pilot is part of the EU research project HAVEit (Highly Automated Vehicles for Intelligent Transport). Under the project vehicle manufacturers, automotive suppliers, and scientific institutes from Germany, France, Greece, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland and Hungary work together to further develop concepts and technologies for highly-automated driving. The ultimate goal is to prevent accidents, support drivers and reduce the environmental impact.