MG Driving By Remote Control

MG Driving By Remote Control

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One of the common themes concerning our automotive futures is the idea of autonomous vehicles, cars where the person behind the wheel need not play an active role in directing its journey down the road. You might think – and we’d not disagree with you – that the idea of a driverless MG is a pretty long way from the ideals of Cecil Kimber, but the fact is that SAIC is experimenting with some very advanced technology, and installing it in an MG GS. Recently SAIC, in collaboration with Chinese IT giant Huawei Technologies, undertook some remote driving testing using a state-of-the-art 5G based wireless system. The experiment involved SAIC’s MG iGS so-called Smart Intelligent Car (shown in concept form two years ago), connected via a China Mobile high-bandwidth network. The car was placed under the control of a driver 30km away, and the high bandwidth supported a live feed of real-time video of wide-angle views of the vehicle’s surroundings. At the same time, the network carried in return intricate and fast-acting inputs to the vehicle’s critical steering, braking and acceleration systems. Reaction times were said to be especially impress