SARTRE road train project successfully demonstrated in
real world tests (Image: Volvo)
Reading the morning paper while behind the wheel of your car
might sound like surefire recipe for disaster, but in the
not-too-distant future it might just become a safer and more
economical option than actually doing the driving yourself.
That's the theory behind
SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment) project – a
synthesis of personal and public transport that will allow cars
to be daisy-chained and automatically controlled by a lead
vehicle in a process dubbed "platooning." The project has now
made the leap from simulator to real roads in the first
successful demonstration of the technology at the Volvo Proving
Ground near Gothenburg, Sweden.
"This is a major milestone for this important European
research programme," says Tom Robinson, SARTRE project
coordinator, of Ricardo UK Ltd. "Platooning offers the prospect
of improved road safety, better road space utilization, improved
driver comfort on long journeys and reduced fuel consumption and
hence CO2 emissions. With the combined skills of its
participating companies, SARTRE is making tangible progress
towards the realisation of safe and effective road train
technology".
Vehicles linked in a platoon are guided by a professional
driver in a lead vehicle with each car constantly monitoring the
distance, speed and direction relative to the car in front and
automatically making adjustments to keep the road-train on track
– in other words, you sit back and relax while the brakes,
accelerator and steering wheel are automatically operated.
Vehicles can also leave the platoon at any time.
The recent tests conducted in Sweden successfully
demonstrated a single car following a lead vehicle (Volvo's
automated Safety Truck) around the country road test track.
The key to the success of the approach clearly hinges on the
lead driver.
“A professional, well-trained driver leading the road train
is an important factor to ensure safety in the project,” says
Erik Nordin at Volvo Technology.
To support the lead driver, technology such as driver alerts,
forward collision warning, ESP (Electronic Stability Program)
and Adaptive Cruise Control are integrated in the lead vehicle
and Volvo
is working on further enhancements to this part of the system.
According to the
SARTRE
release, the "technology development is well underway and could
most likely go into production in a few years time."
If the system is widely implemented, the researchers believe
that the removal of the human factor will reduce accidents
caused by driver distraction, improve fuel economy and reduce
emissions by up to 20 percent and help ease traffic congestion.
Public acceptance of the idea, along with the need for
changes in government legislation are likely to be bigger
stumbling blocks than the technology itself.
The SARTRE project is part-funded by the European Commission
and led by Ricardo UK Ltd in collaboration with Idiada and
Robotiker-Tecnalia of Spain, Institut für Kraftfahrwesen Aachen
(IKA) of Germany, and SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden,
Volvo Car Corporation and Volvo Technology of Sweden.
Copyright © gizmag 2003 - 2010 To subscribe or visit go to:
http://www.gizmag.com