INGENIEUR
COVER FEATURE
TECHNOLOGY WATCH
DRIVERLESS CAR
There are several key players in the making of a driverless car. But
Tesla’s electric car with additional software, nicknamed Autopilot,
steals the show. The hardware is simple: a camera, bumper-mounted
radar, and 12 front-and-rear ultrasonic sensors. The genius is the
software which can be updated periodically.
The autonomous car gives drivers something similar to what
airline pilots employ in flight. It can manage its speed, steer within
and even change lanes and park itself. Some of these features, like
automatic parallel parking, were already on offer from other car
companies, but self-steering via a software, gives the giant leap
toward full autonomy.
According to Tesla, an updated software called Enhanced
Autopilot, expected in December 2016, will add new capabilities
such as match speed to traffic conditions, keep within a lane,
automatically change lanes without requiring driver input, transition
from one freeway to another, exit the freeway when destination is
near, self-park when near a parking spot and be summoned to and
from a garage.
BENDABLE BATTERY
A bendable lithium-ion battery that can flex and twist could power
future wearable devices, smart watches and flexible smartphones.
Although it's still in the early stages of development, the battery has
been tested to withstand twists, bends and other deformations while
maintaining its ability to hold a charge.
Panasonic has announced flexible lithium-ion batteries that
are just 0.55mm thick that can be used in card-type or wearable
devices. This battery can retain its charge and characteristics even
when flexed by an angle of 25° or twisted to a radius of 25mm.
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VOL
- DECEMBER 2016
VOL68
55OCTOBER
JUNE 2013