Audi's new RS7 looks like any other racing car, capable of making split second decisions and navigating a track at around 150 mph.
It has one big difference however: it doesn't require a driver.
The German automaker showed off its new vehicle for the first time this weekend, as the RS7 successfully completed a lap on the Grand Prix track in Hockehnheim.
It took the Audi RS 7 autonomous driving concept a little over two minutes to complete the lap, and reached a top speed of 149 mph, a new autonomous car world record.
"The top performance by the Audi RS 7 today substantiates the skills of our development team with regard to piloted driving at Audi," said Doctor Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member for Technical Development at AUDI AG, according to the Daily Mail.
"The derivations from series production, particularly in terms of precision and performance, are of great value for our further development steps," he added.
The vehicle uses specially corrected GPS signals to move around the track without a driver. This GPS data is sent to the vehicle via Wi-Fi according to the automotive standard and redundantly through high-frequency radio.
A computer program compares the cameras' image formation against a data set stored on board and 3D cameras in the car film the track.
Essentially, this is what makes it possible for the technology pioneer to orient itself on the track "within centimeters," according to the report.
Audi considers piloted driving one of its most important fields, having made its first successful development 10 years ago. The latest test runs at the physical limit are giving Audi engineers new information for the development of automatic avoidance functions in key driving situations.
Once authorities open the door to new self-driving features, "the first systems for piloted driving could come to market in a few years," Hackenberg said during a presentation of the brand's autonomous-driving technology.
For example, driver assistance systems from the automaker are already making driving better controlled and more relaxed. These systems can be found in the updated Audi A6 and Audi A7 Sportback model series.
Offerings include Audi active lane assist, adaptive cruise control with Stop & Go functions, and Audi side assist.
"I know accident-free driving will remain a vision. But at least we can reduce the number of accidents in the future," said Dr Horst Glaser, according to BBC News. "Piloted driving defuses situations like, for example, being in a traffic jam. Whenever the driver is distracted and inattentive the car could take over."
Other companies and universities like Volkswagen Group Research, the Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL) and Stanford University (both in California) are supporting Audi as partners in the further development of piloted systems.
Technology for self-driving cars is expected to become an $87 billion market by 2030, according to Boston-based Lux Research.
"Piloted driving is one of the most important development fields at Audi," Hackenberg said, speaking before showcasing a driverless RS7 this weekend at the Hockenheimring racetrack. "It's key on the way toward accident-free driving."
Both Mercedes and Audi received approval in September to test self-driving vehicles on California roads, to get their German- engineered cars used to U.S.-specific situations like eight-lane highways.
Volvo, Telsa, BMW, Google and other companies are also experimenting with self-driving vehicles. Some believe a completely autonomous vehicle should reach dealerships by 2017.
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