Add portable in-vehicle GPS vendor TomTom to the list of companies that are testing autonomous vehicles as the company has unveiled a customized car to test its own self-driving capabilities.
The vehicle features eight laser scanners, stereo cameras and six radars built into the vehicle. The sensors allow for different testing in different configurations and provide a 360° view of the vehicle’s surroundings. The data from the sensors are then processed and referenced against the TomTom HD map so the vehicle can locate itself precisely.
The car includes TomTom high definition maps, TomTom Roadagrams and map-streaming service TomTom AutoStream.
TomTom said having its own self-driving car would help test mapping technology on the roads, get insights and high-quality data on how the vehicle performs in a multitude of circumstances and feed that data into its artificial intelligence map-making process.
TomTom’s HD maps give an accurate representation of the road including lane models, lane geometry and traffic signs. It allows self-driving cars to precisely locate themselves on the road for a detailed model of the surrounding environment working with the vehicle’s sensors. Recently, TomTom signed up multiple automotive OEMs to use its HD maps, the company said.
