Porsche Is Testing Autonomous Driving Technology In Its Workshop

Porsche is testing autonomous driving in the company's own workshop. This project involves Porsche working with start-up Kopernikus Automotive to install a test field on the company's premises in Ludwigsburg. Kopernikus Automotive specialises in technology for self-driven cars, and the aim of the joint project is to enable vehicles to drive from their parking space to the lifting platform and back again, fully autonomously. It is intended that mechanics will be able to manoeuvre the sports cars to the correct position in the workshop, quickly and automatically, using a tablet. The technology shall provide vehicle orientation and independently detect objects.

Start-up Kopernikus Automotive has installed a test field on Porsche's premises in Ludwigsburg

Before the vehicles are driven into the workshop truly autonomously, the first step is to create the test site including workshop environment as a virtual representation, which is used to train an artificial neural network. It drives more than one million virtual test kilometres and learns independently on the basis of real framework data. Finally, the use case is tested under real conditions. The aim is to allow vehicles to drive autonomously from their parking lot to the lifting platform.

Porsches's autonomous cars project will have a speed limit of 7 kmph and an additional human driver to keep safety in check

The intention is that AI technology will then not only handle vehicle orientation, but also independently identify and localise objects, and plan paths. Extensive measures will be implemented to guarantee safety in the practical implementation stage of the test run, including a speed limit of seven kilometres per hour and the additional use of a human driver.