Watch: A car driven by your smartphone
Jaguar Land Rover is working on a car that will enable its driver to steer the vehicle from outside the vehicle via their smartphone.
The smartphone app includes controls for steering, acceleration and braking, as well as the ability to change between high-and low-range gears.
This would enable the driver to walk alongside the vehicle, at a maximum speed of 6km/h, to manoeuvre their vehicle out of challenging situations safely, or even to negotiate difficult off-road terrain.
The driver could use the smartphone to reverse the vehicle out of a parking space if someone has parked too close for them to open the door, or allow the driver to become their own off-road spotter, to guide the vehicle over off-road obstacles from outside the vehicle.
The remote control function will only operate if the user is within ten metres of the vehicle and if the smart key can be detected. The system will stop the vehicle if the driver moves out of range or gets too close.
“Future possibilities for this technology could include more autonomous functionality where the driver gives a simple command from the handset to traverse an obstacle or exit a parking space, and the vehicle does the rest,” JLR said.
Jaguar Land Rover’s ‘Multi-Point Turn’ Range Rover is capable of autonomously manoeuvring through 180 degrees to turn the vehicle in the road and point the vehicle in the opposite direction.
The system uses sensors to assess available space and to avoid pedestrians, vehicles and other objects. The system takes over gear selection, steering, braking and acceleration to make as many forward and backwards movements as necessary to achieve the manoeuvre.
The research team in the UK, is working on a system to scan the environment around the vehicle and inform the driver whether it is safe to perform the turning manoeuvre.
Dr Wolfgang Epple, Director of Research and Technology, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “Getting a car out of a tricky parking manoeuvre can be a stressful experience for any driver.”
“A Remote Control car, or a vehicle that can autonomously turn in the road, demonstrates how we could use these new technologies to reduce the tedious parts of driving and improve road safety.
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