In 1968, Disney introduced us to a self-driving and seemingly fully aware Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie, most popularly known as "The Love Bug." Volkswagen recently unveiled its concept prototype called Sedric, a fully automated level 5 vehicle, at the Geneva Motor show 2017.

Volkswagen is not new in dabbling with autonomous concepts for its vehicles. The success and familiarity of Disney's Herbie added to the imagination of people to conceptualize a fully self-driving car.

In 2012, it successfully outfitted a Volkswagen Beetle with a "Temporary Auto Pilot" (TAP) system that can take full control of the vehicle for up to a speed limit of 80mph. However, the system, though working perfectly, still needs human intervention in safety critical situations.

Fast forward to 2017, The Volkswagen Group unveiled Sedric at the Geneva Motor Show 2017. Ignoring rules for acronyms, Sedric stands for Self-Driving Car. Sedric is an SAE Level Five autonomous electric driving machine, Telegraph reported. It is said that the car is capable of making its own decisions on almost anything it meets. Additionally, VW head of research Ulrich Eichorn said there should be an operator system, should the car meet up with something it never encountered before.

Sedric does not resemble a Beetle in any way. Some call it a space caterpillar; others refer to it as a pissed-off toaster. It is, in fact, a fully automated van, designed with no driver's cockpit, steering wheel or even pedals.

All one has to do to summon the vehicle is to press a single button, and Sedric comes to the passenger, ready with its doors open to accommodate its human into its spacious lounge-like cabin from the 70s. Once onboard, all the passenger has to do is tell it where to go using normal speech, and it takes you there via a choice whether taking the fastest route or going the leisurely scenic way. Eichorn added that Sedric could even be programmed to collect groceries from the supermarket for its owner.

More than a car, Sedric can also function as a rolling digital assistant according to Engadget. The car's windshield is actually OLED displays that feed data to its passengers as it rolls along. Accordingly, the car is equipped with an array of formidable radar, camera and four Lidar sensors mounted on the roof.

Another set of Lidar sensors is located on the bumpers. The whole setup generates what VW calls a "sensing curtain" around Sedric.

However, Sedric still has a long way to go, or it might not even make it to production. One thing of note is that it does not even carry the Volkswagen name but merely identified as coming from the Volkswagen Group.Not to fret, Herbie was not recognized as a Volkswagen too in "The Love Bug" until the movie became a major hit.

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Topics Volkswagen