The focus remains on the driver

When will the driver be replaced? Will we drive our cars
"automatically" tomorrow? On the occasion of the ITS World
Congress in Torino the BMW Group is presenting new systems in the areas
of driver assistance and telematics. But BMW is clearly opposed to the
"automatic" driver and any external intervention in the
process of driving. Whether stop & go cruise control, local hazard
warnings or the BMW ASSIST telematics service, all of BMW's innovations
are integrated into a comprehensive driver support concept.
?ConnectedDrive" ensures intelligent communication between the
driver, the car and the surroundings. Systems based on this principle
give the driver information he either cannot obtain at all or only
inadequately when using only his own resources. Electronic assistants,
for example, relieve the driver of the usual chores in traffic and thus
help to ensure a safer, more efficient and comfortable style of
motoring. Intelligent mobility also means transmitting traffic-relevant
data and other information from one car to the other. This is essential
in order to network the driver, his vehicle and the surroundings, in
the process anticipating any interaction between these contributing
factors. Interfaces between automotive technology and telematics offer
unprecedented opportunities: The car is "connected" and
communicates increasingly with its direct or more remote surroundings.
It generates and processes data, it transmits and receives digital
information. The benefits and potentials offered in this way are
already becoming clear today. In the long term they will provide
excellent options for protecting the environment, taking the burden off
the traffic system as a whole, increasing safety to an unprecedented
standard, and combining all this with that proverbial sheer driving
pleasure. Although BMW has been among the pioneers of modern telematics
ever since the introduction of the first navigation system in a series
production model in 1994, it is particularly the more recent
developments which help to synchronise individual mobility with the
needs of our information and knowledge society. Thorough testing of
MOST technology for wide-band information networking within the car's
interior or BMW's early focus on Bluetooth communication technology are
just two examples in this context. All of BMW's concepts in developing
such systems follow the philosophy that the driver always comes in the
middle. And in some areas this statement is correct even in its literal
meaning, particularly in providing ergonomic interfaces between man and
machine. The objective is to ensure a smooth flow of information by
way of appropriate man/machine interfaces in the individual systems,
benefitting the user and at the same time allowing the driver to
concentrate in full on the traffic around him. System ergonomics of
this kind is characterised by the arrangement and configuration of the
controls as well as a logical communication dialogue. Examples of this
kind already presented by BMW are the driver-centred cockpit or the BMW
multifunction steering wheel. A second aspect in optimising the
man/machine interface is the integration of the driver in his car into
the supply of information from outside. Typical examples are the
on-line presentation of trip-related or other worthwhile information as
well as communication with the driver's surroundings. Applying all
these options in technology, ?ConnectedDrive" seeks to ensure a
meaningful division of activities by combining the respective strengths
of man and machine, each doing their best to achieve a common goal.
Driver assistance systems offer a broad scope of applications and
benefits particularly in this respect, obtaining the best results from
each source. They can support the driver wherever necessary, taking the
different levels of performance of different drivers into account. They
can help the driver acquire increasing experience and do his job
properly. But they do not seek to take over decisions or responsibility
due to the driver and the driver alone. Like the various forms of
"Artificial Intelligence" (AI), attempts to automate chaotic
systems such as road traffic either in full or in part are seen in a
very critical light. This also includes attempts to control the top
speed of a vehicle by means of telematics, forcing the driver to slow
down to a specific speed limit. In the worst case such a shift of
responsibility from the driver to some kind of overriding system may
lead to chain reactions involving severe consequences. Hazards will
inevitably arise whenever the driver relies on a specific speed
dictated to him from some kind of external control system but not
properly reflecting the current situation on the road. BMW's approach
is therefore quite different: All kinds of sensors partly networked
with one another determine the car's surroundings, evaluate the data
obtained in the process, and specify a road speed safe under all
conditions and subsequently transmitted to the driver as an intuitive
recommendation via the Active Gas Pedal. The driver nevertheless
remains responsible for maintaining this recommended speed, thus
retaining his role as the crucial, decision-making link within the
overall driving and vehicle control system. BMW has been the
trendsetter for years in the sensible and meaningful use of
technologies to support, but not necessarily replace, the driver.
Precisely this point is demonstrated clearly in Torino by an entire
fleet of test vehicles, the BMW Group thus anticipating the motto of
the ITS Congress: From Vision to Reality. Further information on the
subject of ?ConnectedDrive" is provided by the
www.ConnectedDrive.com website presented on the occasion of the ITS
World Congress in Torino.