We Are Tomodachi Winter 2018

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29road and traffic conditions and regulations in each country. When it comes to the kind of automated driving features desired by drivers, for example, German customers are more interested in automated long-distance driving on the Autobahn, whereas in Japan there is more demand for automated stop-and-go driving in heavy traffic and for automated parking—we see local driving conditions reflected in customers’ needs. Our company is advancing many different forms of automated driving systems and Japan’s large-scale field testing will greatly benefit their development.”Wolfram particularly admires Japan’s leadership in supporting innovation. “The most pressing current concern is to include proper guidelines regarding automated driving into the existing legal framework. Japan not only has excellent researchers, but has been making great progress when it comes to providing the necessary coordination. SIP not only connects the private sector with governmental and academic organizations, but advances projects planned from basic research all the way to commercial application and encourages participation by foreign players. This shows that Japanese officials are serious about leading the world in the development and implementation of automated driving systems.”SIP’s project is also a test case for the pursuit of open innovation. Cooperation between Japan and the rest of the world accelerates innovation, and Japan is working hard to lay the necessary groundwork.Japan’s Metropolitan Expressway has many curves and junctions, demanding different capabilities from automated driving technology than most expressways in Europe and the U.S.“Michibiki” and Its Contribution to Automated DrivingAlso spurring innovation in automated driving is the Japanese Government’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System “Michibiki” with its high-precision positioning system. Michibiki will begin operation with four satellites in 2018 and reduce the existing margin of error for positioning from several meters (about 10 feet) to a mere six centimeters (about 2.4 inches). In conjunction with high-precision map data, this promises a drastic improvement in the determination of a car’s exact location. Michibiki aims to achieve reliable connections both in urban and mountainous environments and is scheduled to be expanded to seven satellites in 2023.Continental Japan’s CEO Berthold Wolfram recounts that “the license plate number of Japan’s test vehicles is ‘2020.’ We’re aiming to have self-driving vehicles on public roads by 2020, and in addition to participating in SIP’s driving tests, we’re also focusing on the development of improved sensor and brake systems.” SIP testing of an automated driving system was conducted in the city of Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture. The trial used the Michibiki Quasi-Zenith Satellite System and high-precision 3D maps to test self-driving buses. The experiment’s primary purposes were benchmarking and the improvement of sensor technology.