Hyundai unveils cruise control system that adapts to driver’s driving style
Car manufacturer Hyundai has developed an adaptive cruise control system that uses machine learning to adapt the system to the driver’s driving style in a number of ways.
Hyundai calls the system Machine Learning based Smart Cruise Control and it is in fact the addition of artificial intelligence to adaptive cruise control. Normally, the vehicle automatically adjusts its speed based on the distance from the vehicle in front, while Hyundai’s new system automatically learns the driver’s patterns and habits and applies them to the Smart Cruise Control system.
This should result in cars equipped with it driving in a way that matches the driver’s driving pattern. The driving pattern is characterized in three parts: The distance to vehicles in front, how fast someone accelerates and the reaction speed of the driver to certain conditions. In addition, those conditions and the speeds are measured. According to Hyundai, the system is able to distinguish more than 10,000 patterns, so that the smart cruise control should be able to adapt to the driver’s patterns. The driving pattern is regularly updated, so that a recent adjustment in the driver’s driving style is also reflected in the application of the cruise control.
Hyundai says that with a previous version of Smart Cruise Control, it was impossible to fine-tune the settings based on individual preferences; only through the application of machine learning this became possible, according to the South Korean company. The new system also achieves level 2.5 of autonomous driving, according to Hyundai. Future cars should be equipped with it, but when this will be the case and which car models it concerns is unknown.
The manufacturer says this development of a more personalized cruise control is important, because responding to the driver’s driving style can lead to drivers being less hesitant to use such a semi-autonomous driving system. If the system does not take into account the driver’s patterns and preferences, the driving style may deviate from what the driver wants and he will be less likely to use it, according to Hyundai.