Motortrades Insight Magazine Online Subscribe About Us Contact Us Motortrades Insight - Motoring News, Articles & Interviews Home Finance Reviews Under The Hood Motorsport Business Profiles Archive Jobs I am looking for in Get your business listed Related Tags: induct navia, induct technology, driverless vehicle, driverless car, driverless cars Induct Navia: the car that drives itself By: Danny Hewitt Ref:A0937 Published: 20 January 2014

French company Induct Technology has pioneered the first commercially available driverless vehicle in the US called Navia. 

Take a look at this short promotional video from Induct – with some cheeky English subtitles for your convenience.

This is simultaneously the most awesome and frightening thing we’ve heard in a while – the possibilities are seemingly infinite, while the disaster potential also seems immense. Rest assured Navia has been through rigorous testing and is compliant with all safety standards and regulations. 

We know what you’re all thinking – what if the clever cars turn rogue and decides to revolt against its human masters? What’s the worst that can happen? You end up at Costa instead of Starbucks or the cinema instead of the library – we can deal with that.

Let’s get technical. The Navia uses a few different technologies for location and guidance – here’s a quick rundown of the kit used for this awesome mechanical marvel.To instantly calculate position, route and distance travelled since last known position:• Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) sensors – to show exact vehicle location • An accelerometer – to calculate the vehicle’s speed• Gyroscopes – to calculate rotation around all 3 axesTo sweep the area around for obstacles and hazards up to 200 yards ahead, the Navia has 4 laser-based LIDAR units (Light Detection And Ranging) combined with a system of two optical cameras, mounted in such a way as to mimic the stereo vision two human eyes have. This slight offset of the two cameras allows depth mapping and 3D perception, used to generate a sort-of digital map – accurate to 1cm – in its computer memory, which is then used to calculate an alternate route around the blockage or obstacle.Take a look at the Navia’s SLAM MOT in action:Induct Technologies is the first company to develop depth-perception technology like this – it’s known as ‘SLAM MOT’, which means Simultaneous Localization And Mapping & Multi Object Tracking. Navia performs all of these calculations and simulations on-the-fly as it transports passengers around, constantly updating and improving its view of the area around – leaving the passengers on board to worry about more important things. This gives drivers time to browse the web to their heart’s content and beyond.There is a downside to this awesome vehicle, though. It’s not yet capable of mapping moving vehicles positions accurately – something which Induct are working on for the future of self-driving cars. But for now, it can carry 10 people from stop to stop around a university campus or airport car park at a speed of 12.5mph (with its eco-friendly electric motor). The batteries will admittedly run out before too long, but don’t worry – that’s when the clever Navia will stop accepting new passengers, drop its existing passengers at their desired location and take itself to a charge station to refill – now that’s what you call autonomous!According to Induct founder Pierre Lefevre, the main motive of Navia is ‘last mile mobility’ at airports, campuses, shopping malls and other densely populated places where it’d be nice to hitch a ride – although we’ve got our sights set a little higher for this utopian wonder.This is a guest post by Chris Ord, a regular writer for the Car Loan Warehouse.  Comments  Sign in or Register to leave a comment Related Articles // More Like This dummyBertone’s Michael Vernon Robinson on why fully driverless cars could save millions of lives and should be made legal Michael Vernon Robinson is Brand and Design Director at Gruppo Bertone, an Italian firm known for its iconic and inspiring designs. Motortrades Insight’s Danny Hewitt spoke to the American-born desidummyExclusive: Toyota Europe CEO and President Didier Leroy says accident avoidance technology will be affordable within five to ten years Didier Leroy (left) has transformed Toyota Motor Europe, having signed a Supply Agreement with BMW in 2011.The President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe has questioned the feasibility of fully driver 12     « Previous ArticleNext Article » Subscribe to MotorTrades insight As featured on NewsNow: Motoring news News 24/7 MotorTrades Insight are now official news providers for NewsNow. Top Stories // This Week Show Stories For: > ---2014--- February January ---2013--- December November October September August July June May April March February January james-hunts-hesketh-308-could-make-537000-at-upcoming-rm-auctions-monaco-saleJames Hunt's Hesketh 308 could make £537,000 at upcoming RM Auctions Monaco sale.  Hesketh Racing was formed in 1972 by the British Peer, Lord Alexander Hesketh, who was a keen motorsport enthusiast with a desire to compete in the sport at the highest level. After two seasons... kia-receives-environmental-badge-for-use-of-bio-based-plastic-in-new-soul-electric-vehicleKia receives environmental badge for use of bio-based plastic in new Soul electric vehicle.  Kia has revealed that the company’s new Soul EV (electric vehicle), which will have its world premiere at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show starting later this week, has achieved UL Environment validation ... crash-tests-show-indias-cars-are-unsafe-and-in-the-dark-ages-compared-to-europeCrash tests show India's cars are unsafe and in the dark ages compared to Europe.  Britons are lucky to be driving some of the safest cars in the world. In other parts of the world, safety standards are not so high. Every day, 380 lives are lost on the roads of India. It's a blood... european-autonomous-driving-research-project-adaptive-beginsEuropean autonomous driving research project 'AdaptIVe' begins.  The European research project AdaptIVe (Automated Driving Applications & Technologies for Intelligent Vehicles) has begun at the MobileLifeCampus in Wolfsburg, Germany. It is a consortium o... new-vehicle-collision-repair-qualifications-brought-in-to-recognise-skills-of-mechanics-and-bodyshop-workersNew Vehicle Collision Repair Qualifications brought in to recognise skills of mechanics and bodyshop workers.  Two new IMI Awards qualifications have recently been introduced, targeted at the body repair sector. The level 2 and level 3 Multi-skilled Vehicle Collision Repair Qualifications cover paint, p... new-70mpg-c-class-c-220-bluetec-will-cost-around-30000-mercedes-revealNew 70mpg C-Class C 220 BlueTEC will cost around £30,000, Mercedes reveal.  The new C-Class C 220 BlueTEC will cost from £30,865 for a 7-speed automatic. It has 170hp, accelerates from zero to 62mph in 7.7 seconds and has a claimed combined fuel economy of 70.6mpg.&nbs... f1-pictorial-comparison-mclaren-mp4-28-vs-mclaren-mp4-29-the-bizarre-intricacies-of-dolphin-noses-crazy-curves-and-jagged-linesF1 Pictorial Comparison: McLaren MP4-28 vs McLaren MP4-29 - the bizarre intricacies of dolphin noses, crazy curves .  After McLaren confirmed the departure of Paddy Lowe to Mercedes F1, Tim Goss was appointed Director of Engineering for the Woking-based Formula One team. In the past, he was Chief Engineer for ... first-drive-review-volvo-v60-d4-r-design-nav-geartronicFIRST DRIVE REVIEW: Volvo V60 D4 R-Design Nav Geartronic.  This is arguably the sexiest looking Volvo estate ever created. And the colour, Rebel Blue, says what Volvo and Swedish design is all about. We test drove the Volvo V60 D4 R-Design Nav last wee... personal-photograph-taken-by-michael-schumacher-to-be-auctioned-for-great-ormond-street-hospitalPersonal photograph taken by Michael Schumacher to be auctioned for Great Ormond Street Hospital.  A personal photograph taken by Michael Schumacher is to be auctioned in London this Friday to raise funds for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.The image of a boat on a lake taken ... new-vauxhall-astra-gets-cleaner-16-litre-engine-with-a-combined-fuel-economy-of-763mpgNew Vauxhall Astra gets cleaner 1.6-litre engine with a combined fuel economy of 76.3mpg.  The top-selling Astra is now available with a super-smooth new generation 1.6 CDTi engine, Vauxhall’s cleanest ever mid-size diesel.Previously only available on the Zafira Tourer and the Meriva, the... new-cars-are-27-per-cent-more-fuel-efficient-than-in-2008-as-car-sales-rise-in-januaryNew cars are 27 per cent more fuel efficient than in 2008, as car sales rise in January.  New car registrations were up in January, with the UK automotive industry expecting to see 'moderate, sustainable growth in 2014', according to SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes.Buyers are increasingl...  Company Info // Get in Touch © Motortrades Insight Limited 2012 - 2014 Tel: 0844 656 1808 Email: accounts@motortradesinsight.co.uk Motortrades Insight Limited trading as motortradesinsight.co.uk Registered Address The Coach House Baddow Park West Hanningfield Road Great Baddow Chelmsford Essex CM2 7SY Company Reg: 07302221 VAT No: 120173663 Links // On The Web >> >> Subscribe to Mailing List >> Advertise on Motortrades Insight >> Motorsport News >> >> Motoring Industry News >> Blog >> Used Car Buyers Guide >> Link To Us >> Ratecard >> Privacy Policy >> Terms and Conditions >> Disclaimer Twitter // Follow Us Cookies on Motortrades Insight

Like many popular websites, Motortrades Insight uses some third party widgets that may set and may have already set cookies, for example the Twitter feed on our homepage. For more information see our cookie policy. By clicking close and continue you agree to our use of cookies.