It will be difficult?if not impossible?for motorists to relinquish an active role in driving cars equipped with the semi-autonomous Super Cruise feature now being developed by General Motors, the company’s two top leaders said at a Detroit conference. When the feature arrives, sometime in 2017, it will contain components that ensure drivers remain alert and ready to control their cars.
For example, Super Cruise will contain sensors that track drivers? eye movements. ?If we don?t get those signals and feedbacks, we don?t engage,? said Mark Reuss, GM?s executive vice-president. ?We take the car and slow it down and call OnStar, for instance.?
In the wake of a fatal crash involving a similar semi-autonomous feature made by Tesla Motors, General Motors executives found themselves in the awkward position of highlighting the limitations of the upcoming feature rather than its functions. But given the widespread concern over Tesla?s implementation of its Autopilot, GM’s cautious decision to delay the arrival of Super Cruise has gained favor. Speaking at the Billington Global Automotive Cybersecurity Summit in Detroit last week, CEO Mary Barra and Reuss both emphasized they consider Super Cruise an advanced driver-assistance feature, not a driver replacement. ?The fundamental premise of the system is not unlike that of an autopilot system in an airplane, where you?re reducing fatigue and you?re increasing the awareness of the driver over a longer period of time,? Reuss ...