It feels like it’s been years in the making, but that’s because it has.
It feels like it’s been about half a decade since GM announced its semiautonomous Super Cruise system. The wait is almost over, because it’s arriving later this year.
Cadillac points to two specific parts of Super Cruise that help separate it from the rest — a driver attention system and lidar map data.
If the driver stops paying attention, Super Cruise will start throwing up warnings on the steering wheel, through the seat’s haptic feedback and in the gauge cluster.
The driver attention system relies on a single camera atop the steering column. In conjunction with infrared lights, this camera is capable of tracking a driver’s head position, keeping Super Cruise engaged only as long as a driver is paying attention to the road.
If the system detects that a driver’s attention has drifted, it will give a warning prompt.