Audi used CES 2014 to give CNET a first taste of the future of autonomous vehicles, using an A7 equipped with its Piloted Driving feature.
Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
LAS VEGAS -- Audi used an A7 TDI to demonstrate its Piloted Driving technology at CES 2014. This particular car was the newest test mule created by Audi, and was put together for the demonstration in about four weeks.
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The front of the car was fitted with dual radar domes, fitted into the fog light ports. A forward-looking laser emits from a discreet window below the bumper bar.
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Ultrasonic sensors surround the vehicle, and two radar modules are mounted inside the rear bumper cover.
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A camera, which monitors lane lines, sits on the windshield in front of the rearview mirror.
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The brains of the Piloted Driving feature sit tucked away behind a panel in the cargo area of the A7.
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As a comparison, Audi brought out its previous autonomous-driving research vehicle, to show how much computer hardware it had stuffed into the back.
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In this photo, an Audi staff member sits in the driver's seat on I-15 with his hands off the wheel and feet off the pedals. The car maintains distance from traffic ahead and holds its distance between the two lane lines at speeds up to 40 mph.
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Audi replaced the instrument cluster with this LCD panel, which shows a representation of the traffic around the A7.
