Bosch Traffic Jam Software Reduces Road Rage for Drivers Stuck In Traffic
Bosch is not content to let upstarts like Google wrestle into the car market with self-drive cars or accept Hyundai provide access to their vehicles with an app, without having something to say about it. Their market response is the new Bosch Traffic Jam Assist system which kicks in when drivers are stuck in a long traffic jam barely inching forward for hours on end. The company also has several technologies being used to help vehicles navigate more safely.
The annoying stop and go driving when in a traffic jam is something that requires far less navigational headaches than a completely self driven vehicle that must navigate all sorts of obstacles, turns, unexpected trash cans put out into the road for collection in the morning, and more besides. The stop and go nature of driving in heavy traffic is much easier problem to manage. The team at Bosch did just that.
Front-Mounted Equipment
The Bosch Traffic Jam Assist system comprises of a front-mounted camera with is attached to the windscreen of the vehicle. It looks into the distance for road lane markings and different types of objects in the way of the vehicle. A radar system is also situated in the front so pick up less easy to see vehicles and other obstacles which may not be seen so well in heavy rain or inclemental weather conditions.
Heavy Traffic Triggers Bosch System To Start Up
When heavy traffic is ahead, the Bosch Traffic Jam Assist system kicks into high gear by taking over the driving controls. The stop start nature of heavy traffic on the highways and on short journeys during rush hour (an odd term considering during rush hour cars usually move slower than normal) is something that can be warring on a driver who is constantly needing to alternate from the accelerator to the brake, and back again, while seemingly making little forward progress.
Stop Lights Trigger Different Actions
With stop lights there is a different behavior build into the system. When idling behind a car that is right at the stop light then the car can inch forward to close the gap between where the car is positioned and the vehicle in front. However, if the car using the Bosch Traffic Jam Assist system is the car idling at the stop lights then it will stay in that position until the lights change to green.
Not a Perfect Driver Just Yet
Despite the recent advances in computers being able to learn to drive, the Bosch system is still currently not able to take corners particularly well so it is restricted to straight lane traffic only. One more troubling issue is when center lane marketing are faded and cannot be determined by the driving computer. The system will then need to estimate where the center of the road should be instead of being able to identify it via the front-mounted camera.
For now, Traffic Jam Assist is still working on a few kinks that are also challenge for other such systems. It can’t turn corners on its own. Also, if the lane markings are faded or otherwise obscured, the car may not be able to keep its lane.
Autonomous Driving On The Horizon
The Bosch system was showcased at the recent CES show and is likely to be released quite soon. It is the next step forward beyond automobiles that can park themselves in a tight spot rather than the driver needing to do so and risking damaging another vehicle if they get the parking manoeuvre wrong.
The upside with this system is that it gets around some US laws which do not permit driver-less cars because the some State laws stipulate that a responsible driver must be in the driving seat when it is being driven. This could help the uptake of the Bosch system because of the lack of legislative hurdles to overcome unlike with the Google self-drive car project which still has some ways to go yet.
