Renault has revealed a new autonomous obstacle avoidance system, capable of matching professional drivers.
Demonstrated on a specially equipped Zoe electric car, nicknamed Callie, the technology can detect when an obstacle is approaching and automatically avoid it.
The obstacle avoidance system has been developed in Silicon Valley, California, at Renault’s open innovation lab in collaboration with Stanford University’s Dynamic Design Lab.
The French manufacturer used professional drivers to fine-tune the technology, which was then benchmarked against them — matching their efforts in most cases.
Renault is planning to have more than 15 models in its line-up with some form of autonomous technology by 2022, with this new obstacle avoidance tech being a step towards that.
Simon Hougard, director of Renault Open Innovation Lab, said: “At Groupe Renault, we are focused on being an innovation leader in products, technology and design.
“Our innovation efforts aim to develop advanced autonomous driving technologies that consumers can trust will create a safer, more comfortable journey.”
Renault doesn’t currently offer cars with any full autonomous technology, but some models do feature automatic assistance features, such as the latest Megane’s Active Emergency Braking — which can stop the car without driver’s input if it detects a potential collision.
