At the prestigious Consumer Electronics Show (CES) starting next week in Los Angeles, Audi will present a car that parks itself, while Toyota will show off a Lexus that takes control of itself in the event of driver incapacity.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Toyota confirmed its participation at CES and posted on its website showing the modified Lexus LS 600h.
The car has been upgraded with a technology Toyota calls ITS, or “Intelligent Transportation Systems.” It is designed to monitor and assist the driver, but can also take over control, for example if the driver falls asleep at the wheel.
The system includes radar and cameras that recognize other vehicles, road lines, pedestrians - even traffic lights - so the vehicle can stop on its own in an emergency. In addition, a rotating laser rangefinder is visible on the roof of the car, similar to the one Google uses in its own autonomous cars.
Google has secured a patent for autonomous cars and is conducting tests in California and Nevada. However, as both Google and Toyota have clarified, the modified Lexus is not a product of collaboration.
Meanwhile, Audi confirmed that it will showcase autonomous driving technologies at CES - including a system that finds and parks its cars on its own.
