Completely hands-free driving is almost here with Cadillac’s Super Cruise technology, one of the industry’s first true hands-free driving options for the highway. Unlike other hands-free systems, Super Cruise utilizes the combination of an intelligent driver attention system and precision LiDAR map data to ensure a safe and enjoyable ride.
While taking your hands off of the wheel can be nerve-wracking at first, I can honestly say that driving while using the Super Cruise technology as my partner in crime actually made boring highway driving enjoyable. Super Cruise is to a driver like Jarvis is to Tony Stark. The driver attention system allows you to relax and enjoy yourself while ensuring that you’re still aware of your surroundings. If it senses that you are not looking at the road for an extended amount of time, it alerts you through visual indicators and seat vibrations to get your eyes back on the road. If the system can’t get your attention back, it smartly brings the car to a controlled stop on the side of the road and contacts OnStar if necessary.
While the technology would technically allow for hands-free driving on any road, Cadillac chose to limit it to an environment where it has the most benefit-limited access highways, in order to build consumer and regulatory confidence in its ability. Well Cadillac, mission accomplished, you’ve got this writer on-board and while the Super Cruise will only be offered as an option on the Ct6 sedan at first, I’m looking forward to the internal goal of having it available on all GM cars in the early 2020s.
Hands-Free Cruising Cars
Cadillac's Super Cruise Employs LIDAR Tech for Long Leisurely Drives
Trend Themes
1. Hands-free Driving - The development and implementation of hands-free driving technologies such as Cadillac's Super Cruise present opportunities for disruptive innovation in the automotive industry.
2. Intelligent Driver Attention Systems - The integration of advanced driver attention systems in vehicles, like the one employed by Super Cruise, opens up potential for disruptive innovation in automotive safety and user experience.
3. Lidar Mapping Technology - The use of precise LiDAR map data in autonomous driving systems, as seen in Cadillac's Super Cruise, offers opportunities for disruptive innovation in the development of highly accurate and reliable navigation systems.
Industry Implications
1. Automotive - The automotive industry can explore disruptive innovation opportunities by adopting and improving hands-free driving technologies, like Cadillac's Super Cruise, to enhance safety and driving experience.
2. Autonomous Vehicles - The autonomous vehicle industry can leverage intelligent driver attention systems, such as the one utilized by Super Cruise, to drive disruptive innovation in the development of fully autonomous driving capabilities.
3. Mapping and Navigation - In the mapping and navigation industry, there is potential for disruptive innovation by incorporating LiDAR technology, similar to what is utilized in Super Cruise, to create more accurate and detailed maps for autonomous vehicles.