Siemens converts 53-year-old muscle car to drive autonomously

By Siemens
schedule20th Jul 18

Whatever would Steve McQueen make of it - engineers at Cranfield University in collaboration with Siemens successfully modified a classic US muscle car so it could operate autonomously and complete a hillclimb at the world famous Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Researchers from Cranfield’s Advanced Vehicle Engineering Centre joined with engineers from Siemens to integrate a suite of state-of-the-art sensors and control algorithms into a 1965 Ford Mustang.

The technology enabled the 53-year-old sports car to complete the 1.86 km course without incident.

Dr James Brighton, Senior Lecturer at Cranfield, said: “Goodwood offers us a chance to reflect on why we have an emotional connection with cars and acts as a reminder that humans like to be engaged and part of the action. The Siemens Autonomous Hillclimb challenge project connects the classic spirit of automotive adventure with advanced technology.”

Juergen Maier, CEO Siemens UK & Ireland, said: “To help celebrate Goodwood’s 25th year anniversary, we’ve partnered with Cranfield University to bridge the gap between the legacy of the automotive industry while pointing to the future of autonomy in terms of both motoring and wider industrial applications.

“With digitalisation already everywhere, our aspiration (allowed) guests to take an awe-inspiring look into the future and experience the technology of tomorrow, today as a means of ensuring UK plc is at the forefront of a technology-led revolution like no other before it.“

The choice of classic car presented a particular challenge as the model can be notoriously unpredictable even under manual control. Advanced location-scanning technology from Bentley Systems allowed the engineering team to give the car an accurate 3D scan of the track, connected to an awareness of the car’s own position.

The car was wrapped in a special silver design to mark the 25th anniversary and featured cameras mounted inside and out to livestream the demo.

“A project born of ‘because we can’, and a sense of fun, the result is a car containing advanced technology, but involving the driver – a perfect celebration for Goodwood’s 25th anniversary,” added Dr Brighton, who took to the driver’s seat for the event due to safety regulations, but never had to take the wheel once.

Watch the hillclimb by clicking here


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