Self-propelled cars more than a new technology – radio Germany

Barbara Lenz in conversation with Tobias Armbrüster

Barbara Lenz, director of the Institute of Transport Research, Berlin (picture alliance / dpa / Hans-Joachim computing)

Google and Daimler are working on: cars should drive fully autonomously in the future, so their vision. This would mean that there would be no more traffic jams, which are due to incorrect behavior on the road, the traffic researcher Barbara Lenz said in DLF. Until then, it was still a long way to go.

Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche was presented at the Open House of the American electronics industry a self-propelled Mercedes-prototypes. The traffic researcher Barbara Lenz considers it quite possible that self-propelled cars in a few years to the reality on the streets. That would be mainly for car-sharing models is essential. Cars that you have to get there so far, where they have been placed, would pick up the next driver then autonomously.

This change should, however, be accompanied legally, so Lenz. Up to now there is a person responsible for the law behind the wheel. Controls the car itself, that would be not more so. In addition, should the sensors of the vehicles to be modernized infrastructure, absence of a continuous side strips will need.

With the shift away from the principle of responsible driver did not change just a technology, but a whole system. For example, would jams, which are due to incorrect behavior on the road, no longer arise. The devices would also anticipate that a child could follow when a ball rolls into the street. But foolproof, so Lenz, were it not

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The full interview

Tobias Armbrüster. It is a really science fiction-like vision, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche has since presented in Las Vegas yesterday: A car that runs independently that picks up a home on mobile phone call. One can then reinsetzen, start driving and watching TV or reading a book. Not only Daimler is working on such a self-driving cars, on such concepts, and many other manufacturers not only in the auto industry. But how likely is actually that it will really give those cars in the future with us on the streets? – Maybe we can say that Barbara Lenz. She is the director of the German Institute of Transport Research in Berlin, where the German Center for Aerospace, and she explores such concepts and their potential impact for several years. Good morning, Ms. Lenz

Barbara Lenz. Good morning, Mr. Armbrüster

Armbrüster. Mrs Lenz can, its really that we all do not have to sit in a few years behind the wheel, but that distract us our cars independently

Lenz: I think this is quite possible. The probability is even very high that we are heading and closely

Armbrüster. What needs to change because for us, so that something works

? Lenz Firstly, the legal foundations need to change it, because our entire legal bases in traffic are of course based on the fact that you have a person responsible behind the wheel, the driver or the driver. The changes, you do not have more riders, so the responsibility lies elsewhere, which must be accompanied legally. We may need other infrastructure, as the sensors of these vehicles has indeed certain requirements, for example, to a continuous side strips that can be recognized as a limitation of the roadway. It can also transmit functions are required, which must then be deployed throughout the country. That has to definitely change. The question is perhaps not so much what needs to change – it can be determined relatively well – but what may change in the offer to the market participants

Armbrüster: Since we can talk about it even in a moment. But how big do you see as the willingness in Germany that will actually change something that is established, for example in infrastructure such new forms in traffic laws and possibly change it?

Lenz Well, it’s not just that there are simply changing a technology, but one would expect from this technology to have some special benefits. One benefit is that the road safety is significantly larger. The other expected benefits is that the efficiency of road transport is greater that the traffic flow works better that the capacity of roads can be better utilized.

Therefore, a willingness since it is determined to be the accordingly set up infrastructure, and when you look at yourself research projects currently running at different ministries are so precisely aligned to be a sort prepare the road that also automatic vehicles can drive.

With small steps in the Future

Armbrüster: If I were you because now understand correctly, this also means that there will be these autonomous vehicles no more traffic jams

Lenz The “no”, which has something quite absolute. But first times there are no more traffic jams, which are due to the fact that people are reluctant to behave in the traffic. It caused traffic jams often the case out of nothing, because a front brakes, slows the whole line that follows, and then there are these backwater effect. These are effects that would be lost in the future.

But I would also be careful with this automatic driving now always equal to the final goal to see really fully automated vehicles, which was presented by Mr. Zetsche in Las Vegas. There are also still intermediates. This is so wrong with the automatic parking system, we already have even provided at individual locations in Germany, for example, at the airport in Dusseldorf

Armbrüster. Since you have cars, from where you can stop and say to them, now you park one myself, and then the car adjusts itself into the parking space

Lenz. Exactly! The car is brought to its parking spot per robot. And there are various stages along the way to full automation. You have the motorway pilots, also for a specific function drives the car automatically. Especially complicated it will be in urban traffic, where you simply have a variety of influences, which not only impair or affect the operation of the car but also running the car. You have people and other vehicles that cross the roadway. This is a particularly complex situation, and that is certainly the endpoint, the aim of which autodriving to be able to cope with the

Armbrüster. You have now been said that the road with such cars safer. Can we because there really be sure that this technology is quite good enough to detect as small children who suddenly run into the street

Lenz: I would Connect disagree that says that we can exclude 100 percent, because the 100 percent rule would mean that you advance to 100 percent every possible situation can be devised, in such a case arises. The basic situation is but its certainly the case that in certain areas of road transport develop these vehicles a sensor, which is also set out as if a ball rolls into the street. Then the vehicle not only looks, here comes a ball, but also an inkling of what we do as people yes, there could also be a child come afterwards. Now: That must be the goal of sensors for fully automated vehicles in urban traffic then go

Fully automatic in the wrong direction

Armbrüster.? I can imagine, Ms. Lenz, that many who hear this now, think that’s really mad and goes completely in the wrong direction, that we as talk about self-propelled cars on private transport to continue cars with two or four seats which then here glide through our cities and bring their drivers to their destination, which somehow then sit in these little cars with a reading newspaper, reading books or watching TV. Not is actually a growing trend towards he should not go there to expand public transport

Lenz: Yes, that does the trend also determined. But when you consider where does that work, public transport particularly well, then you will find that is in the big cities. And we have not that many really big cities in Germany. In my view, the public transport retain primary quantities of urban transport and the question is to what extent we are developing on the individual additional options, such as the fact that not everyone who lives in the city or work in the city or purchases through a private vehicle has, but uses along with other this vehicle, whether. in a small group or for the purposes of car sharing, just as we know it today Together, this benefit is an essential component of its autonomous driving

Armbrüster. And that will be easier that you can then call these cars and then come to a, as we have just heard on the original sound of Dieter Zetsche

Lenz: Exactly! If you want to share with someone a car today, you have to coordinate getting that where you leave the car, the other person can get the car. The moment where the car can move itself, you have this coordination needs no more, which is a new opportunity to share this car, and this is my opinion, be an essential element of autonomous driving especially in cities.

Armbrüster: Mrs Lenz, then at the very end even this rather, I would say, industrial policy question. Do you have the impression that German manufacturers are prepared for this development

Lenz: I have the impression that they have long been working towards that but also the quality of this challenge which has just been brought by Google on the carpet, the German manufacturers much more aggressive now deal with this issue and develop as autonomous driving. Watch out Mercedes, which now are on this test site and also on the roads in California – autonomous

Armbrüster. The traffic researcher Barbara Lenz was the time and the many reports reports that we get these days about cars that drive autonomously. Thank you, Mrs Lenz, for your time this morning

Lenz. Here you go! -. Please, Lord Armbrüster

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