自动驾驶汽车有望提前登场

    随着奔驰 2014 S Class sedan 轿车的面世，自动驾驶的梦想已近在咫尺。利用自动驾驶功能，日常用车在驾驶者将要入睡或即将作出错误操作时，可以接管驾驶任务，从而避免造成灾难性的事故。

    上周，戴姆勒公司的工程师们在德国汉堡市揭开了这款新型的S Class 汽车的面纱。毫无疑问，这是一款豪华汽车：模拟指压按摩的座椅异常舒适；主动香氛系统可按需每隔五分钟喷送五种不同气味的香水，至始至终令车厢保持怡人气氛。“它是一个流动的温泉浴场，”一位评论者如此评价。

    戴姆勒将迈巴赫打造为奢华品牌的尝试失败之后，这个角色再次回归到了 S Class 阵营。这款新型 S Class 汽车拥有了工程师所能设想到的一切机械、电子与时尚元素。个人交通工具进化史中，最为重要并且与驾驶者最为相关的或许是下面这样一些功能，比如 3D 摄像头和雷达装置。利用这些功能来获悉环境、道路和其他车辆状况的不仅仅是 S Class的驾驶者，还有汽车自身。

    假如其他超车过快，S Class 汽车可发出预警，防止碰撞。汽车下方的摄像头可探测路面缺陷或坑洼，而且还能在遇到突起物时对汽车悬架作出调整。戴姆勒特有的“预防性安全”技术能够探测行人或者可能发生的碰撞，从而能够更快、更有力地采取制动措施。

    托马斯•韦伯教授说：“借助经过改良的环境探测系统，智能辅助系统可对复杂环境作出分析，更准确地识别潜在危险。”韦伯是奔驰汽车开发部门的主管，同时还担任着戴姆勒理事会董事，负责集团的研究工作。他指出：“形象地说，新型 S-Class 汽车不仅前面长了眼睛，而且 360 度全方位都可尽收眼底。”

    出现交通堵塞时，通过“自动跟随驾驶(Stop & Go Pilot)”的特色功能，S Class 汽车可自动跟随前方车辆，并相应地进行刹车或加速。与此同时，在当地法律许可的范围内，司机可以将注意力转移到其他事情，比如打电话或发短信。

    大众（Volkswagen）、通用（General Motors）、丰田（Toyota）以及宝马（BMW）等汽车制造商都在开发类似的系统。数年之内，汽车有望能够通过自动驾驶，安全地抵达预设目的地，同时将司机的监管降至最低。汽车制造商指出，一切碰撞事故的根源几乎都可归咎于人为的错误，而开发这套系统主要目的是将人为错误减至最少。另外，车辆之间的通信将进一步增强安全，同时还有利于减缓交通堵塞。

    相对于当前 9.3 万美元的售价，新款 S Class 汽车起步价为 10 万美元。价格较高的原因之一在于高昂的设计与研发成本。如果消费者认同新款 S Class 汽车的需求设计，那么随着大规模生产带来的成本效益，新型技术将很快普及至日常车型。

    人们在日常生活中经常会面对不完善的高科技产品：电脑死机、软件故障、通话掉线等等。戴姆勒的新款奔驰 S Class 汽车也会面对类似的质疑。然而，当前越来越多的汽车研发人员正在让大众认识到：无人驾驶汽车即将登上舞台，而且时间要比大多数人想像得要早。（财富中文网）

    The race to build an everyday car equipped with autopilot that can prevent accidents and take over from a driver about to fall asleep or make a catastrophic error is inching closer to reality with the introduction of Mercedes-Benz's 2014 S Class sedan.

    Last week Daimler AG engineers unveiled the new S Class in Hamburg, Germany. Yes, it's luxurious, a "rolling spa," as described by one reviewer, which includes seats that simulate a shiatsu massage and an "active perfuming system" in the glovebox that can project any of five aromas into the cabin at five-minute intervals, according to preference.

    Daimler, having failed to make Maybach its ultimate expression of luxury, has returned the S Class to

    that role. The new S Class contains every mechanical, electronic, and fashion refinement that engineers could imagine. But perhaps most impressive and relevant to the evolution of personal transportation are those features, such as 3-D cameras and radar devices that make S Class -- not necessarily the S Class's driver -- aware of surroundings, road, and other vehicles.

    If a car is overtaking rapidly, the S Class can warn or prevent the driver from turning into its path. Cameras under the car can detect a pothole or pavement imperfection and adjust the suspension to encounter the bump. What Daimler calls "Pre-Safe" technology can detect a pedestrian or a likely collision and activate brakes more quickly and more strongly than the driver.

    "Intelligent assistance systems analyze complex situations and better recognize potential dangers out on the road with the aid of improved environment sensor systems," said Prof. Thomas Weber, member of the Daimler Board of Management responsible for group research and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars Development. "Figuratively speaking, the new S-Class doesn't just have eyes at the front, it has 360-degree all-round vision."

    A feature that Daimler calls "Stop & Go Pilot" lets drivers stuck in lower speed traffic jams set the S Class to follow the car in front of it, braking and accelerating appropriately, while letting the driver concentrate on something else -- phone calls or whatever isn't prohibited by local law, such as texting.

    Volkswagen, General Motors (GM), Toyota (TM), BMW, and others are developing systems that will allow cars within a few years to drive themselves safely to preset destinations with minimal driver supervision. The main reason for such systems, automakers say, is that they minimize human error, the prime factor for almost all collisions. Vehicle-to-vehicle communication will add a further level of safety and help to optimize the flow of traffic.

    The engineering and research that created the new S Class is costly and one factor behind what will probably be a starting price of $100,000, up from the current $93,000. But if the public perceives the features offered in the S Class as desirable, they soon could find their way into more everyday models, as the cost of offering exotic technology falls with mass production.

    Daimler's new Mercedes-Benz S Class will encounter a skeptical public that is all too familiar with the frequent "crashing" of personal computers, glitches with software, dropped cellphone calls, and high-technology's other imperfections. But an increasingly large and confident chorus of voices -- mostly located in automotive R&D laboratories -- now are convinced that "driverless" cars will arrive in showrooms sooner than most people imagine.