BY: KaQuan Little
Carl Benz created the first automobile in 1885, which later went into production during 1886. He created a two-seater vehicle that which consisted of a compact high-speed single cylinder four-stroke engine installed horizontally at the rear of the car. The car used a tubular frame along three wire-spoked wheels. The engine had a maximum output of 0.75 horsepower. Over the last century the list of features automobiles offer has drastically changed. For many years, features such as air-conditioning, power windows and a radio system were viewed as notable features found in vehicles. With technology rapidly changing and improving, options such as voice activation systems and rear-parking assistance have become expected features found in my vehicles throughout the world. But, the team at Mercedes-Benz has decided to push the envelope and shape the future for travel with the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
The creative team at Mercedes-Benz has been hard at work developing new ideas that would not only set the brand apart from their competition, but innovate a new path for technology used for cars driven on the road. Mercedes-Benz calls their innovative feature the "Distronic Plus Assistance System", while others call it the autonomous driving. This new feature in S-Class models is a lane-guidance system, which locks dotted white-lane markings or the car in front on highways at speeds up to 124 miles per hour. The system serves as revolutionary due its abilities of maintaining distance from cars both in front of and behind the vehicle, its ability to break to a complete halt and restart from stationary positions. When this idea was created, the team at Mercedes-Benz headquarters located in Germany wanted to create a self-driving vehicle that would change the driving experience for their customers.
The Distronic Plus Steering system that is used in the S-Class consist of their new 360-dgree sensing system, a stereoscopic camera, 12 ultrasonic sensors, which can detect close objects and four additional cameras all around the body of the car. The stereoscopic camera recognizes the speed and trajectory of moving hazards up to 164 feet away. The system is also able to identify and differentiate humans and animals. Over the years, companies such as Ford and Toyota have both created self-parking cars. But, none have attempted to create self-driving vehicles. Nissan, a Japanese automaker created the self-driving Nissan Leaf, but has yet to put the model on the market for consumers. Many companies fear the possible safety hazards and lawsuits that can arise from selling self-driving vehicles. Mercedes-Benz is aware of the risk for their company but stands confident behind their product.
Has Mercedes-Benz innovated a new form of travel or simply just perfected the risky idea of other car manufacturers? Will our future consist of self-driving vehicles? How will this shape and change the driving experience for future generations? The new feature does serve as a handy option, but comes a whopping cost. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class has a starting price of $94,400 and the Distronic Plus Steering system isn't a standard feature. The idea of creating self-driving vehicles has always been idea for future automobiles. But, is it something necessary for the future? There are many factors that will possibly change if other car brands decide to join the bandwagon. This new system does serve up to be innovative, but is it something the world actually needs?
Here are links that provide a better and more in depth description on the self-driving system:
Here is a Youtube that shows how the system works in action:
Autonomous driving is truly a great innovation for the future because like all other great innovations it has the ability to make our lifestyle much easier. This invention could really help people these days because so many drivers get into accidents due to falling asleep on the road, or simply not paying attention. Mercedes is taking autonomous driving to the next level by creating their "Distronic Plus Assistance System" which serves the same purpose as autonomous driving, but also includes a 360 degree sensing system, a stereoscopic camera, and twelve ultrasonic sensors which make the new S-Class model one of a kind. So yes Mr. Little, I definitely agree that this new Distronic Plus Assistance System will pave the way for other autonomous driving innovations in the future.
ReplyDeleteGoogle actually showed this at their informational today. What is surprising is they didn't show it my freshman year. So that is a livestream of how technology is changing and I think our generation will be the first people to see this form of self- driving cars take the market. They even showed a video of autonomous cars and the driver was blind
ReplyDeleteAutonomous driving seems great until it gets into an accident. Who is responsible if my autonomous car takes a life? There are so many intangibles that have to be considered before the mass production of autonomobiles can begin. For one, insurance. Glitches in the connection would be deadly. What if it glitches on mountains, loses signal around tall buildings.
ReplyDeleteOk, I'm just being an alarmist. Cool post!
I remember briefly talking about this in class with the google car. i think its cool that they took this technology and put it in more flashy/stylish cars. although autonomous driving seems cool i don't think i would ever actually use it. with technology comes glitches and in this instance a split second glitch could cause someone their life.
ReplyDeletereally enjoyed this blog post. I have heard a lot about automatic steering cars the past it.what was interesting about this blog post however, is that I had no idea that manufacturers such as Mercedes Benz we're following along. This is crucial for the car industry because now many manufacturers will follow suit. Buy a luxury car manufacturers such as Mercedes Benz hopping on the bandwagon, automatic steering is on its way to being commoditized. This is a groundbreaking event and I look forward to seeing how quickly it will be integrated into domestic vehicles by more and more car manufacturers. I am assuming that one of the barriers to entry is making sure that the system is safe and efficient. I can't wait to find out more about the process of proving its safety. This was great and I can't wait to hear more in the near future.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, however the age old question about the liability of these cars is too great of a risk. In the event of an accident who is to be blamed, the individual or the car company. In addition The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) seems to feel the technology is far from ready. In fact, they recently called for a ban on the use of automated cars for purposes other than testing until they have conducted a thorough study. So would it smart for a company to invest in a car that could not be road ready for another five years minimum?
ReplyDeleteI agree this was a great post very informative. Learning that a brand like Mercedes is attaching themselves to something relevant is very intriguing. However, I'm not interested and I'd be surprised to see how many people would actually use this on a daily bases. So honestly it seems like a wastep of money.
ReplyDeleteGreat Post! Mercedes Benz in my eyes has definitely brought something new to the table in the market of Autonomous Driving. Mercedes has kept the luxury of their cars while still offering new technology. This is something the google car does not do. Google's car is not ascetically appealing. I also think that the luxury aspect will bring more people to embrace the idea. Great Post
ReplyDeleteThe post is very informative brother. In class I was telling Professor Sistrunk that if the autonomous car was more attractive it will sale more.. I would even buy one in the future. The google car offers more trustworthy technology, but the Mercedes is smooth and appealing. In addition, I believe the Mercedes will do much better in the than the Google car because of the strength of the name in the automotive industry.
ReplyDeleteSince we talked about autonomous car in class, I believe this post brought great relevance to what we talked about in class. It was very informative to learn about how Mercedes Benz is using technology to become the innovative leader in the auto industry. I think Mercedes new C-Class is going to be a model for the market and the other dealers are going to follow with their technology advancements.
ReplyDeleteAs it usually goes with features like this in cars, I'm most excited for this technology to get inexpensive to the point where I don't have to be in a $70,000 S-Class to enjoy it. Great post.
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