Self-driving Hyundais coming to the 2018 Olympics in South Korea – CNET

If you’ve ever had your parking sensors fail in the snow, imagine getting a self-driving car’s myriad systems to play nice in the white stuff. Hyundai will see if it can do exactly that during the 2018 Winter Olympics, thanks to some high-def maps.

Hyundai will furnish a fleet of vehicles for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, etnews reports. The vehicles will run on high-definition maps with a reported margin of error of less than 10 centimeters (3.9 inches). The hope is that these maps will help the cars deal with frustrating winter conditions, long the bane of modern driver-assistance systems.

Enlarge Image

Hyundai is currently collecting 3D data for use in its maps, and it’s believed that it should have all the data it needs “shortly.” The maps will cover road locations and markings, curvature and width of pavement, as well as information pertaining to road signs and signals.

The maps will be first applied to a series of self-driving shuttles going between Pyeongchang and Seoul, along with self-driving cars that operate between the main stadiums in town. It’s unclear if the cars will be variants of the autonomous Ioniq sedans we’ve seen — and been lucky enough to take a ride in.

The report claims Hyundai has achieved SAE Level 4 autonomy in its development vehicles, which means the car would be responsible for both controlling the vehicle and monitoring the environment. At Level 4, the car is wholly capable of driving itself, although certain modes may allow for human intervention and control.

Hyundai’s HD mapping made a splash at this year’s CES trade show in Las Vegas. Along with its self-driving Ioniqs, Hyundai showed how its high-def maps can help bring autonomous cars to market that aren’t necessarily loaded with all the high-end trimmings required in other vehicles, meaning it would be much more affordable for your everyday user.