One can acquire an autopilot RP-1 developed by the US-based company Cruise at the price of only $10,000. However, there is a slight hitch. This offer is available only for 2012 and newer Audi A4 models to be used on specific California highways.
Cruise have already started accepting pre-orders for the autopilot. In 2015, first 50 lucky men will be able to relax on the road, in case they are morally ready to place full confidence in this technology. How does it work? The device consists of cameras, sensors, and a GPS-receiver mounted on the car’s roof, scanning the road around the vehicle. Electronics controls steering, acceleration, and braking. The main control unit is installed in the boot. For system activation, one needs to push the button that sits on a panel between the driver's seat and the centre console.
No matter how inspiring it all sounds, developers do not recommend using this technology on heavy loaded highways. The system can fail in queuing traffic. Well, it is not human brain, and even human brain is not keeping up sometimes.
Many world car manufacturers work on developing cars with autopilots. For instance, Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn predicted first self-driving production cars to appear in 2018. Most probably, we should expect similar statements to be made by representatives of other world’s largest car manufacturers in the nearest future. Google is not legging behind either. The company has even got the green light on testing a Toyota Prius equipped with special navigating and control systems, which allow autonomous driving.
