Honda’s 2025 goal is to introduce cars with highly-automated driving capability in most driving situations (SAE Level 4), while the short term goal is to introduce the Acura with freeway driving capability (SAE Level 3) by 2020. “These are critical steps in Honda’s commitment to contribute to a collision-free society”, said Honda in an official statement.
“We will strive to achieve the technological establishment of Level 4 automated driving for personal car use by around 2025,” said the President & CEO Takahiro Hachigo. “We are striving to provide our customers with a sense of confidence and trust by offering automated driving that will keep vehicles away from any dangerous situation and that will not make people around the vehicle feel unsafe.”
Honda is testing the technology in various scenarios. The freeway driving test was conducted on a closed test course, on a multi-lane freeway in the presence of traffic. The test vehicle utilizes an advanced sensor package which includes multiple cameras, as well as five LiDAR and five radar sensors.
A second driving scenario, simulating a common urban driving experience, was conducted using the latest generation of Honda artificial intelligence (AI) with Deep Learning capability. Honda says the vehicle was equipped only with camera sensors and no LIDAR or GPS. The AI with Deep Learning can still sense and respond to complex driving environments and situations, such as roads without proper lane markings. The system also can detect pedestrians and bicyclists at night with only partial visibility, and as it learns using advanced AI, the system can improve its ability to predict an outcome and take appropriate action.
The SAE (SAE International) defines automated driving based on six levels of capability, from zero to five. SAE Level 4 or “high automation” means the vehicle can handle all driving tasks in most driving situations, with possible exceptions including inclement weather conditions or unusual driving environments, where the driver would be required to resume control.
“Honda is rapidly advancing its deployment of advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies in Honda and Acura vehicles on the road today, through its Honda Sensing and AcuraWatch suite of features, which serve as both a perceptual and technological bridge to the highly-automated vehicles the future. Nearly a half-million Honda and Acura vehicles on U.S. roads today are equipped with these technologies, which include autonomous emergency braking (AEB) via the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), Lane Keeping Assist (LKAS), Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)”, added the statement.
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