Autonomous Driving
With aging populations, especially in advanced countries, the increase in accidents due to the decline in the driving abilities of the elderly has become an issue. In addition to reducing traffic accidents caused by the elderly, autonomous driving is expected to alleviate traffic congestion and revitalize local regions by supporting the mobility of those who have difficulties with traffic.
To make autonomous driving a reality, it is necessary to resolve several technical problems, including the design of optical components, such as LiDAR, taking into consideration their angular dependency and establishing indexes that quantify the feelings of passengers for a comfortable ride. Shimadzu’s analytical instruments can help to resolve these problems.
LiDAR
The transmittance and reflectance of the optical components used on the LiDAR cover have angular dependencies, which can affect sensor sensitivity and positional control. Here we introduce the use of spectrophotometers for the evaluation of the angular dependency of transmittance and reflectance of the sensor covers.
Quantitation of Ride Comfort
From a safety point of view, when control of driving is passed from the autonomous driving system to the driver, it is necessary to confirm that the driver is awake and ready to drive. Also, in order to achieve comfortable autonomous driving, it is necessary to determine whether the passengers are feeling any sense of discomfort. In this kind of research, various types of biometric data are used. Here, an example of the use of LIGHTNIRS is described. This system is capable of imaging brain activity noninvasively, without interference from other instruments.