While the major automakers are developing autonomous vehicles behind closed doors, we were able to experience Audi’s latest prototype at Las Vegas’ CES show in January. California, Florida, Michigan, and Nevada are the only states, along with Washington, D.C., that currently allow companies to test such vehicles on public roads.

Audi’s A7 test car is equipped with the company’s traffic-jam assist feature, which uses an array of cameras, sensors, and radar to let the car take over the driving in highway traffic. In the driver’s seat was Björn Giesler, Ph.D., project leader for development of piloted driving at Audi AG, and in the backseat was an engineer equipped with a laptop and radio to monitor the system and communicate with our police escorts and other Audi vehicles.

During rush-hour traffic, we headed out on Route 15, one of Las Vegas’ major freeways. With the vehicle’s speed under 40 mph, a notification appeared that the system’s pilot mode was available. Then with the push of a button on the steering wheel, the car took control and the instrument cluster graphic changed to an illustration of the road with vehicles in the lanes.

As Giesler took his hands off the wheel and his foot off the pedals, the vehicle seamlessly followed the car in front at a safe distance. When a vehicle cut into our lane, the A7 automatically slowed down and adjusted the distance. When that car moved out of the lane, our car again closed the gap with the next car in front. The driver can turn off the system at any time by placing his hands on the steering wheel and foot back on the pedals.

With the A7 in control, the driver could do other things, although sleeping was not one of them. The vehicle was equipped with two cameras with facial recognition that monitored the driver’s eyes. Giesler showed off that feature in an unnerving moment. “I don’t want to lie to you, this is still pretty scary for me,” he said as he pretended to sleep. After about 10 seconds the vehicle noticed. An audible alert sounded and, when he still didn’t open his eyes, the vehicle shut down in the middle of the highway and activated the hazard lights. That is a safeguard on the prototype A7 in case the driver is ill or incapacitated. But production cars will be designed so that they can make autonomous lane changes, which will allow the vehicle to safely pull off the road.

During the demonstration, Giesler pointed out an eye-opening reminder of how quickly the technology is advancing. The previous year the test car’s trunk was filled with three desktop-sized computers to make the system work. This year the hardware had been reduced to the size of a small box, which was tucked away in the trunk’s side storage compartment.

Overall we were quite impressed with the Audi’s capabilities. The company expects the technology to be available in a production car within five years.