?
Of the flurry of advanced safety features debuting on the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class (many of which presage the stuff you'll see on the upcoming S-Class flagship), Distronic Plus with Steering Assist is likely the most polarizing.
?
Unlike their so-called Active Lane Keeping Assist system, which gently steers the vehicle away from oncoming traffic by braking the inside wheels while vibrating the steering wheel as a warning,?Mercedes-Benz's?Steering Assist function uses Distronic Plus adaptive cruise control in conjunction with stereoscopic cameras and steer-by-wire electronics to keep the car centered in its lane based on lane marker detection and the presence of vehicles ahead.
?
While it's not quite the stuff of completely autonomous cars, this latest features certainly take big steps in that direction, especially considering its cameras are robust enough to perceive objects which are nearly 1,640 feet, or 1/3 mile, away.
?
The most reassuring takeaways from our recent E-Class test drive? One Mercedes-Benz engineer, who told us the system is sensitive enough to know when a someone's hands are on the wheel, but that ultimate control is always ceded to the driver-- which is good news for us, since the last thing we want to do in a panic situation is have to wrestle Hal for control of our car.
?
Related: Nissan Will Put Drive-By-Wire in 2013 Cars
Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/auto-blog/active-steering-comes-to-mercedes-benz?src=rss
samoyed kenny powers kenny powers carl hagelin triple play james neal virginia tech
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.