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Volkswagen's Temporary Automated Pilot Demonstrated on Video

A month ago, Volkswagen revealed its softer, more down to earth interpretation of the future where robots do everything for us - the TAP system, which stands for Temporary Automated Pilot. A VW equipped with the revolutionary device was demonstrated at the HAVEit (Highly Automated Vehicle for Intelligent Transport) event in Sweden, and we now have video footage of TAP in action to show you.

TAP allows the car to be driven semi-automatically at speeds of of 130 km/h (80 mph) on motorways, with the driver simply has to supervise the vehicle - sort of like an improved highway cruise control. The system works by combining the car’s regular automated devices (adaptive cruise control and lane assist) to provide a device that can provide that extra bit of safety.

VW’s Professor Doctor Jurgen Leopold describes the TAP system as being “an important milestone on the path towards fully automatic and accident-free driving.” However, he insists that the responsibility still lies with the driver, as he can override or deactivate the system at any time and must continually monitor it.

There’s also a semi-automatic setting called Pilot Mode, which helps the driver maintains a safe distance to the vehicle ahead, drives at a speed selected by the driver, reduces this speed as necessary before a bend, and maintains the vehicle’s central position with respect to lane markers.

VW is clearly looking to develop a system which saves lives, but we have to wonder if it will make people focus less and less on actually enjoying their cars. We really don’t want to be part of a world where motorists sit behind the wheel and drive a newspaper, no matter how long the commute is.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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