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Land Rover has created a car that can be controlled by a driver outside using a smartphone.
It may sound like something out of a James Bond movie, but that’s exactly what the boffins at Land Rover have done.
It’s just one of the prototype technologies that its UK-based research team are developing to deliver autonomous driving in the future.
The smartphone app includes control of steering, accelerator and brakes as well as changing from high and low range.
This would allow the driver to walk alongside the car, at a maximum speed of 4mph, to manoeuvre their car out of challenging situations safely, or even to negotiate difficult off-road terrain.
The driver could use the smartphone to reverse the car out of a parking space if someone has parked too close for them to open the door, or allow the driver to become their own off-road spotter, to guide the car over off-road obstacles from outside the vehicle.
By walking alongside the car, the driver could continually check ramp, approach and departure angles and allow precise positioning of the vehicle when rock crawling.
It could also be an invaluable aid when the vehicle is fording a stream or traversing sections made slippery by mud or snow. The remote control function will only operate if the user is within 10 metres of the car and if the smart key can be detected. The system will stop the vehicle if the driver moves out of range or gets too close.
“Getting a car out of a tricky parking manoeuvre can be a stressful experience for any driver,” explained Dr Wolfgang Epple, Director of Research and Technology at Jaguar Land Rover.
“A Remote Control car, or a vehicle that can autonomously turn in the road, demonstrates how we could use these new technologies to reduce the tedious parts of driving and improve road safety.
Jaguar Land Rover’s vision is to offer a choice of an engaged or autonomous drive. This means the car will be able to drive itself if the driver chooses, or offer systems that can be adjusted for a more engaging and involved drive.
