Audi’->ke14s push to develop its autonomous->ke5282 driving technology->ke1701 has gradually taken steps forward to the point that the company’s research car, the Audi A7 piloted driving concept, is now more refined in performing a variety of functions by itself. Nicknamed “Jack” for unspecified reasons, the A7->ke4070 is said to be more “socially competent” than it ever has been in the past. In other words, the car is now able to navigate around its surrounding while remaining cognizant of other drivers in its area. This kind of consideration allows it adapt to a particular situation, much like what we normally do when we find ourselves in similar circumstances.

In its latest iteration, Jack has exhibited increased comfort and competence in navigating around road hazards, as well as timing his passes around large trucks, and his ability to make the appropriate turn signals. A huge part of Jack’s success can be attributed to what Audi calls the zFAS processor, which the automaker describes as the brains behind the outfit. This particular system comes with high-performance processors that works overdrive in real time to identify and evaluate Jack’s surroundings. As soon as the zFAS lays out the template of the land so to speak, it immediately plots and calculates moves that Jack would be doing, well in advance of the actual moves happening.

The pace by which Audi has developed the A7 piloted driving concept->ke169 is proof at how serious this so-called race is among a lot of automakers in the industry. To its credit, the gains that have been made in the development of Jack hasn’t gone to Audi’s head. On the contrary, the German automaker continues to push forward and has even partnered with city of Ingolstadt to develop a test site that will test construction methods and technical solutions to plot out a system that can improve driving conditions throughout the country.

Test operations featuring some of Jack’s contemporaries are scheduled to begin in 2018. Similarly, a digital test site on the A9 autobahn has been opened to give automakers like Audi real-time road conditions to further develop and test the technology.

Continue reading for the full story.

Why it matters

I’m not going to pretend to be an expert in the field of autonomous driving technology, but I think I’m well versed enough to know when an automaker is making serious strides with its own research and development. That seems to be the case with Audi, which is really showing a lot of results for all the effort that it has put into developing the A7 piloted driving concept.

Remember, the car, or Jack, has been around for close to two years and in Audi has done little else on it other than to put it through the ringer. It’s been on electronics shows like the Consumer Electronics Show, it’s been on exhibitions, it’s even had thousands of testing miles on its odometer. All these things prove that Audi isn’t wasting any time in the development of the technology and here we are now, witnessing what the German automaker has accomplished so far.

To be fair, Audi isn’t the only company that’s pursuing autonomous driving tech. Seemingly every automaker with an interest in the technology is making its own plans and studies for it. That’s not to say that any one company is already better than the others in this regard, but Audi has been one of the most vocal companies when it comes to showcasing what it has developed and tested out. I haven’t seen Jack in action in the flesh, but from the accounts of those that have seen him first hand, it does look like he’s coming along quite nicely and is living up to all the hours and money Audi has poured into the development of autonomous driving.

Where it goes from here is another matter entirely, although I am confident that if there’s an automaker that can figure out the next phase of development, it’s Audi. The company has already partnered with the IT industry, political leaders, and local communities to take part in the further development of its autonomous driving tech. That in itself is reason to give the four rings some credit. If for nothing else, it’s been proactive in this regard and doesn’t appear to be showing any signs of slowing down anytime soon.