Cadillac XTS to feature safety tech developed from autonomous vehicles. Sensor Fusion Enables Cadillac Safety Advancements Technology provides a building block for self-driving vehicles DETROIT – The all-new 2013 Cadillac XTS, the most technologically advanced production car the luxury brand has ever offered, introduces an advanced active safety and driver assistance system, a significant milestone toward the development of self-driving vehicles.
Coming this fall to XTS, the available Driver Assistance Package is the first General Motors system of its kind to use sensor fusion, which enables integration of a broad range of sensing and positioning technologies that can alert drivers of road hazards and help them avoid crashes. The system's use of radar, cameras and ultrasonic sensors enables advanced safety features, including: "A system that combines the strengths of multiple sensing technologies and expertly manages those inputs can provide advisory, warning, and control interventions to help drivers avoid collisions and save lives," Litkouhi said. First Big U.S. Test of Car-to-Car Communications Planned. Vehicle-to-vehicle technology is about to get its first major real-world test in the U.S.
The Department of Transportation awarded $14.9 million to the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute last month, and the university is already moving forward with a plan to put 3,000 short-range radio equipped cars on the road in Ann Arbor over the next couple of years. Ann Arbor, Mich., is a pretty ideal place for such a trial. It's small enough that the cars are likely to encounter each other on the road fairly often, ensuring prodigious data output. Its proximity to America's auto hub in Detroit doesn't hurt either. Sebastian Thrun: Google's driverless car.