'RobotCar' Autonomous Vehicle By UK Researchers

On the inside there are three onboard computers which act as RoborCar's brains. These are, an iPad, the LLC (Low Level Controller) and the MVC (Main Vehicle Computer). The iPad is mainly used as an interface for human input, which is required for initial system checks.

While the computers manage everything from driving the car around obstacles to halting and proceeding when required, they will alert the human to take over control under certain circumstances. If the human does not respond the car comes to a stop.

The autonomous system is exactly like cruise control in a regular car, the researchers say, except that, in this case the car detects obstacles, and has control over speed and steering. The human inside the car can take control anytime by touching the brakes.

Another interesting point to be noted is that RobotCar does not rely on GPS, unlike most autonomous cars. The team feels GPS is not reliable as it is not accurate and does not provide information regarding the environment surrounding the car. Instead, the team completely replies upon lasers, cameras and radars, aided my mathematical tools.

The team explains about what their ultimate goal is: "Already, robots carry goods around factories and manage our ports, but these are constrained, controlled and highly managed workspaces. Here, the navigation task is made simple by installing reflective beacons or guide wires. Our goal is to extend the reach of robot navigation to truly vast scales without the need for such expensive, awkward and inconvenient modification of the environment. It is about enabling machines to operate for, with and beside us in the multitude of spaces we inhabit, live and work."

Flip through the rest of the gallery to see more images of RobotCar in action.