Renault showcases both mindless and mindful driving

On one hand, the French manufacturer showcased its newly developed obstacle avoiding technology. Installed in an autonomous Zoe mule called Callie, the swerving technology was able to match wits with professional test drivers, performing as well as humans in complicated driving scenarios, as demonstrated on the above video.

Renault's Simon Hougard says the company wants to be among the first carmakers to provide a "Mind Off" autonomous mode. in "Mind Off" mode, no conscious driver supervision of the moving car would be necessary. Renault's Chief Engineer of autonomous vehicles, Laurent Taupin says the goal is to have Renault customers in cars with autonomous driving mode from 2020. Currently, the manufacturer only offers advanced driver assist systems, where the driver remains in charge.

As for "mind on", how about a car which would be controlled with only the driver's mind? In Sweden, three test subjects drove a specially outfitted Renault Kadjar SUV using only their brainwaves, wearing EEG headsets. Left turns were one driver's responsibility, right turns were mentally handled by another and the third person controlled acceleration. Compared to merely sitting in an autonomous car, reading a newspaper, doing driving with one's focused brainwaves sounds far more stressful.