Autopilot: Three ways to autopilot

Albuquerque, Los Angeles, New York Mercedes shakes, then stops. In the middle of the entrance position. “It’s bad now,” Kai Steber says.

The Head of Autonomous Driving at Bosch USA has prepared everything down to the last detail. Together with their collaborating partner Mercedes-Benz, they installed dozens of sensors in the ground in the parking garage of the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Cold drinks are served. Dozens of journalists and camera crew were invited. But the demonstration failed: Mercedes simply did not want to park without a driver.

The hasty explanation says “communication issues” are to blame. Then it works on subsequent attempts. But it’s not quite convincing yet, Bosch’s autopilot, which will guide cars of the future to their parking spots as if by magic.