Ford is the latest company to throw a hat into the ring of autonomous car technology. The American carmaker unveiled a Fusion Hybrid research vehicle on Thursday that drives on its own with the aid of four detectors and a camera, The Verge reported.
Ford envisions a future where vehicles can detect the world around them and even communicate with each other. The outfitted Fusion Hybrid can drive on its own with the aid of four whirling, cylindrical LiDAR detectors on its roof and a 360-degree camera.
"Our goal is to test the limits of full automation and determine the appropriate levels for near- and mid-term deployment," Raj Nair, a vice president at Ford, said in a statement.
Company officials plan to phase the technology into production piece-by-piece, hoping to apply most of the research after 2025.
The sensors on the Fusion Hybrid research car work together to make a 3-D map as detailed as some video games, according to Ford.
While their implementation is far in the future, Ford hopes that such sensors will reduce traffic congestion, correct driving errors, help drivers avoid collisions and improve driving patterns for better fuel efficiency.
"The Ford Fusion Hybrid automated vehicle represents a vital step toward our vision for the future of mobility," executive chairman Bill Ford says in a statement. "We see a future of connected cars that communicate with each other and the world around them to make driving safer, ease traffic congestion and sustain the environment."
The short-term goal is to produce smarter cars that can give drivers information like traffic alerts, but eventually Ford wants vehicles that can "talk" to each other to allow them to be on auto pilot.
The automaker plans on "highly automated" vehicles, not "driverless," specifying that a driver will need to supervise the automation controls.
A collaboration with the University of Michigan and State Farm, the new research vehicle will also allow Ford to analyze consumer viewpoints and legislative issues that would affect the success of autonomous driving.
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