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Los Angeles 2016: Hyundai unveils self-driving tech

System is promised to be easily adaptable and affordable

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Hyundai has unveiled a self-driving autonomous version of its latest Ioniq model at the Los Angeles motor show.

The concept model uses a system mounted in its front bumper, rather than the roof-mounted technology so far typical on other autonomous models. According to Hyundai this makes the Autonomous Ioniq concept look like any other car on the road; “and not a high school science project.”

The brand adds that the aim was to keep the self-driving hardware as simple as possible, and the concept makes use of hardware already available in the production car, principally the forward-facing radar of the Smart Cruise Control and the cameras for the lane-keeping assist system.

These will be integrated into the self-driving system, dubbed LIDAR, and according to Hyundai the result will be a low-cost platform that can be installed in future models sold at a price affordable by the average buyer.

The LIDAR system allows the car to detect the exact position of surrounding objects and hardware. It also uses the Forward Facing Radar to detect the relative location and speed of objects ahead of the car to aid in route planning.

A three-camera array detects pedestrian proximity, lane markings and traffic signals, while a GPS antenna determines the precise location of each vehicle, high-definition mapping data provides the system with the road grade/curvature, lane width and indication data, and a Blind Spot Detection radar ensures lane changes are carried out safely.

Earlier in 2016 Hyundai was granted a licence to test its autonomous cars in urban environments in South Korea. The brand is planning to show two autonomous versions of the Ioniq at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) at Las Vegas in January 2017, the cars driving up and down the streets of the city.

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Andrew Charman
Andrew Charman
Andrew is a road test editor for The Car Expert. He is a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and has been testing and writing about new cars for more than 20 years. Today he is well known to senior personnel at the major car manufacturers and attends many new model launches each year.