BMW Highlights New Autonomous Driving Tech at CES

Whether you’re ready for it or not, autonomous driving technology is progressing at a rapid pace.

BMW is using the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to show off its latest developments towards self-driving vehicles with 360-degree collision avoidance and fully automated parking capabilities in multi-story garages. As part of the company’s “Vision Zero,” which is the vision of accident-free personal mobility, the collision avoidance system is being showcased on an i3 electric vehicle with an innovative laser sensor system that scans the entire area around the vehicle. Going beyond current assistance systems like Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go function, the 360-degree collision avoidance is able to prevent an accident before it occurs by automatically initiating the brakes on the vehicle after warning the driver.

2015 Consumer Electronics Show Coverage

In addition, the German automaker is using the four laser scanners equipped on the i3 research vehicle to prove that the car is capable of parking itself even in a multi-story parking garage. The fully automated Remote Valet Parking Assistant integrates the data gathered by the laser scanners with a digital plan of a car park to drive the i3 autonomously to a vacant space. When the driver is ready to get back into the vehicle, the i3 can be summoned through a voice command via smartwatch or smartphone and the i3 will return to the car park exit.