Nissan Eporo Robotic Car Uses the Instincts of a Fish
Manufacturers are hard at work creating self automated vehicles. You know, the kind that you can step into with a cup of coffee, donut, and your cell phone, and spill crumbs all over yourself while chatting with three friends and not kill yourself in the process (or anyone else for that matter)!
The problem with the automated car has not been so much the technology. We already know we can design a vehicle to track itself from point A to point B. The problem is the other vehicles on the road. Or more appropriately… the millions of other vehicles on the road.
With hundreds of vehicles heading in the same direction at any given time, there has to be some sort of rules set in place to overcome certain situations that may arise. Such as during an accident or emergency situation. This is the exact solution that the new Nissan Eporo Robotic Concept Car aims to offer future commuters.
The Nissan Eporo “Episode O (Zero)” Robot Thinks Like a Fish
Nissan found the answer to adapting automated vehicles to the road, by using natures own skills of adaption. While I can’t say I am a big fan of its outward appearance, the Eporo has been designed to function and react similarly to that of a fish.
Fish are experts at traveling in large groups at very close proximity. They do this by sensing the other fish around them, and then reacting accordingly. If a large shark swings too close to take a bite, they swing out away from their current path of travel, avoiding being eaten, and do this in a systematic fashion that avoids both collision and confusion.
The Nissan Eporo will function very similarly to a school of fish by monitoring the other vehicles around them (via laser technology), and keeping constant communication with each other. If an emergency arises, the vehicles will collectively decide the proper course of action, then safely maneuver themselves to safety (as the diagram below illustrates).
While I am not a huge fan of the self-automated vehicle, as long as they don’t look like hairless Furby’s, and they have the option of manual override… this is actually some pretty neat technology.
[Photos via Nissan]
