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Hyundai has used the Los Angeles motor show to give us a look at its concept of a self-driving Ioniq electric car. Based on the standard Ioniq, just launched in Ireland, the autonomous version uses a combination of LiDAR sensors (like radar, but using scanning lasers instead), radar, cameras, a highly accurate GPS locator and blind spot monitors to find its way around. Unlike most other self-driving cars, the Ioniq's LiDAR assembly is tucked into the front grille, not in a separate mounting on the roof.
Hyundai says that it wants to "keep the self-driving systems as simple as possible" so it's developing its own in-house software systems, which are being designed to need less raw computing power, making them faster reacting. It will also, says Hyundai, be cheaper to build and more affordable to buy than rival systems.
The system works by using the Forward Facing Radar to detect the relative location and speed of objects in the vehicle's forward path to aid in route planning. A three-camera array detects pedestrian proximity, lane markings and traffic signals while a GPS antenna determines the precise location of each vehicle. High-definition mapping data from Hyundai MnSoft, which delivers location accuracy, road grade/curvature, lane width and indication data and the Blind Spot Detection radar ensures even simple lane changes are executed safely.
Hyundai says that the system can detect and cope with "high levels of pedestrian traffic, stop lights, stop signs and school zones, road construction and roadblocks, speed bumps dogs without a leash, children at play, shopping centres and intersections without traffic signals."
Two of the cars will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January, offering rides to media and show visitors out in normal, down-town Las Vegas traffic. Hyundai is also currently testing three autonomous Ioniqs and two autonomous Tucson Fuel Cell vehicles at its Research and Development Center in Namyang, South Korea. "Navigating Namyang for a self-driving car is a challenge because of the more than 11,000 engineers and designers on site every day" said a Hyundai spokesperson.