Responding to the trend of automatic steering technology,
apparently it's not only the automotive manufacturers that give all of their
efforts to create new innovations. Recently TomTom and Bosch officially
announce collaboration in order to enhance the automatic steering car, and also
helping to accelerate its realization.
In this cooperation, in accordance with its specialty,
TomTom is trusted to work on mapping data that's specifically designed for the
driverless car. This digital map is claimed to be very different from that we
often use today, where the details are very calculated, with an accuracy of 10
centimeters. The reason is the automatic steering car needs a navigation system
with a very precise digital map, if its presence wants to be realized in 2020
later.
Therefore, a special digital map for automatic steering car
needs to be equipped with a variety of information such as road divider,
traffic signs or speed limits - the information that hasn't been provided in
the conventional digital map at this moment. Thus, a driverless car can
'concentrate' better when it's running.
On the other hand, Bosch will continue to enhance various
sensors that are required by an automatic steering car. A combination between
complete mapping data and highly precise sensors is expected to help in
accelerating the presence of automatic steering car.
For now, both of them have held a number of tests on certain
streets in Germany and the United States. The goal of both parties is, all the
highways and other major roads in Germany can be ready to be passed by the
driverless car at the end of this year. And after that, TomTom and Bosch will
begin to work on other areas: Europe and the United States.