Startup will make your Audi A4 self-driving for $10k

Audi is on the cusp on Self Driving becoming affordable.

From AB

Elevator Pitch: Cruise is the first highway autopilot for your car. It uses cameras and radar to keep your car in its lane and a safe distance from the car in front of you.

Tagline: Join the driverless revolution

Mission: We're building a safer and more efficient world.

Company Facts: Ï Official name is Cruise Automation, Inc. (referred to as just "Cruise") Ï Founded in November 2013 by Kyle Vogt Ï Approximately 8 employees, mostly engineers from MIT Ï Headquarters in San Francisco

Product Info: Ï Product name is the Cruise RP­1 Ï Installed on existing vehicles at our facility in San Francisco Ï Supports 2012 or newer Audi A4 or S4 vehicles Ï Initial production run of 50 units, taking reservations after the first 50 Ï Starting presales on Monday June 23rd Ï Installs are scheduled to begin in early 2015 Ï Price is $10,000 including installation

What does it do? Simply drive onto an approved highway, move into a lane, and hit the Cruise button. The Cruise RP­1 will take control of your steering, braking, and acceleration to keep you in your lane and a safe distance from the car in front of you. It will automatically slow down for traffic, even to a complete stop if needed, and will accelerate once the traffic clears.

While the Cruise RP­1 is an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), it does not take the place of a human driver. The driver of the vehicle is still responsible for actively monitoring the road, obeying all traffic laws, and being ready to take over if needed.

How does it work?

The Cruise RP­1 has three components:

  1. Sensor pod ­ A small pod is mounted to the roof of your vehicle near the windshield. It contains cameras, radar, and other sensors that are used by a computer to understand what's happening around your vehicle.

  1. Computer ­ A computation is mounted in your trunk. It runs off of your cars electrical system and uses less than one cubic foot of trunk space.

  2. Actuators ­ The Cruise RP­1 uses actuators tucked away in the driver's side footwell to control your steering, braking, and acceleration. They're completely hidden from view and don't get in the way when not in use.

Is it safe? Cruise is continuously conducting safety testing with trained operators. By the time the product is ready for customer use, it will have gone the same kinds of road testing and independent third party testing that most automotive companies use for their new products. While this isn't required by law, we are leveraging the decades of best practices from the automotive world to ensure the safety of our customers and other drivers on the road.

Why? Highway accidents kill 33,000 Americans every year, and 90% of these accidents are caused by human error. Since technology to improve highway safety is possible today, we feel it's our responsibility to bring it to market quickly to avoid these unnecessary deaths. View the attachments for this post at:

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