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Seoul National University (SNU) demonstrated its self-driving car on the Gyeongbu Expressway. This was the first time South Korea successfully conducted a test drive of a driverless car on the highway. South Korea thereby became the seventh country to succeed in automated highway driving since Daimler in Germany succeeded for the first time last year.
Although a member of the research team was in the driver's
seat, the automated driving system led the car through the tollgates and onto
the entrance of the Gyeongbu Expressway, as shown in Figure 1. Gaining speed,
the self-driving vehicle changed lanes smoothly and maintained a safe following
distance from other cars on the road.
During its 40-km test run, the vehicle slowed down upon
encountering traffic congestion, while it sped up as much as 80 km/h in
sections with no traffic. Even on curves or in tunnels, the driving technique
of SNU's automated car reportedly appeared natural, as if an actual person were
driving it.
The key mechanism behind SNU automated driving is an
integrated system consisting of multiple programs, including a global
positioning system (GPS) receiver, cameras, and sensors to calculate the
precise location of surrounding obstacles. Together, the system acts similar to
a neural network.
At present, South Korea's automated driving technology is
not yet as advanced as those of other competitors in the field. South Korean
researchers are expected to develop cars equipped with fully automated
technology beginning in 2030.
However, since the South Korean government plans to relax
relevant traffic regulations, the technology is expected to advance at a much faster
rate. SNU will also showcase a more sophisticated automated taxi service later
this year.
Full article: IEEE Vehicular Technology
Magazine, Volume 12, Number 3, September 2017 | 
