Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has revealed that its latest research project could see the launch of off-road vehicles with self-driving capabilities.
The research project is looking into what JLR has called Autonomous All-Terrain Driving and hopes it can tap into the market for drivers who are interested in automated vehicles but don't want to be limited to road driving.
The demand for off-road vehicles is always high and the market for autonomous features is continually growing. In light of this, car dealership owners may wish to alter their sales offering. Any changes in stock need to be covered in their motor trade insurance and road risks insurance policies, so dealers must update their cover regularly — particularly when reviewing the types of vehicles on offer in their showrooms.
The goal from JLR is to equip both Jaguar and Land Rover cars with 3D Path Sensing and Surface Identification technology, using radar, ultrasonic, camera and LIDAR tools.
Tony Harper, who heads up the research unit at JLR, explained: "We don’t want to limit future highly automated and fully autonomous technologies to tarmac. When the driver turns off the road, we want this support and assistance to continue.
“In the future, if you enjoy the benefits of autonomous lane keeping on a motorway at the start of your journey, we want to ensure you can use this all the way to your destination, even if this is via a rough track or gravel road.”
The technology should allow the vehicle to identify what the terrain is like up ahead and to plan the best route accordingly. This is all possible thanks to the high level of artificial intelligence available on Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles.
