Self driving car developed in Melbourne Monday, 10 October 2016

Automotive components supplier Bosch has partnered with the Victorian Government Transport Accident Commission and VicRoads to build a vehicle with self-driving capabilities.

Developed at Bosch's Australian headquarters in Clayton, the vehicle has been designed to navigate roads with or without driver input and includes technology to detect and avoid hazards such as pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles.

The car will be demonstrated at the 23rd World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, taking place this week in Melbourne.

It features an internal camera which recognises the driver and loads the appropriate user profile, adjusting mirrors and seat settings automatically.

Its sensors constantly monitor the traffic situation with a 360 degree view around the car. The human-machine interface (HMI) informs the driver when a stretch of the road is available for automated driving. The vehicle can then take over complete responsibility for all driving tasks.

“Automated self-driving cars will no longer be just another everyday object; they will become our personal companions,” said Bosch's Dr Dirk Hoheisel. “On the freeway, the car becomes the chauffeur and the driver a passenger.”

In manual driving mode, the assistive technologies of the vehicle also assist with road safety. Its vehicle-to-vehicle communication system lets it know about other road users long before they are in view.

Motorcyclists are particularly easy to overlook in traffic because they can be visually blocked by trucks or buses. At the ITS, Bosch will showcase a prototype communications connection between its test vehicle and a motorcycle. By letting both vehicles permanently transmit their location to each other, this reduces the risk of collision.

Victorian Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan said trials of the vehicle will also help VicRoads better understand how motorists use self-driving vehicles and the changes needed to prepare for the future.

“By removing human error from the equation, self-driving vehicles will play a critical role in reducing deaths and serious injuries on Victorian roads,” the Minister said.

“This self-driving car is at the forefront of automated vehicle technology and it’s been developed right here in Melbourne by local engineers.”

With Ford closing down manufacturing in Australia last week and Holden and Toyota set to follow suit in the near future, new technologies such as self-driving cars may yet provide opportunities for Australian automotive engineering.

[The Bosch self-driving vehicle. Photo: Bosch]

Transport will be a major topic of discussion at the Australian Engineering Conference 2016 in Brisbane on November 23-25.