18 December 2018

JAGUAR LAND ROVER OPENS THE DOOR FOR EASIER ACCESS WITH AUTOMATIC TECHNOLOGY

Jaguar Land Rover has developed the ultimate car door that opens automatically as the driver approaches or can be operated by gesture control.

Mobility door opens and closes automatically to welcome approaching driver
Gesture control and radar sensors stop door colliding with objects in car parks on opening
Prototype technology could help disabled customers get in and out of their vehicle more easily
Invictus Games gold medallist Mark Ormrod is helping Jaguar Land Rover trial the system

Jaguar Land Rover has developed the ultimate car door that opens automatically as the driver approaches or can be operated by gesture control.

The mobility door prototype, currently being tested on a Range Rover Sport, uses motion sensors and existing keyless entry technology to detect the driver as they walk towards the vehicle before automatically opening the door to welcome them like an invisible valet.

The technology could help disabled people for whom a car is their main mode of transport* – as many as a third of whom report practical difficulties in their daily usage**. In addition, it has benefits for those carrying child seats or large items as the driver no longer has to struggle to free a hand to open the door.

Once on board, occupants can close the mobility door with an overhead button – without the need to reach out and pull the door shut. Software built into the infotainment system shows the status of each door and allows operation of the driver and passenger doors from inside the cabin.

Radar sensors on the driver’s door detect lamp posts or other obstacles to stop the door swinging open and bumping into objects. The door can also be programmed to close and lock behind you as you walk away.

Jaguar Land Rover is working with a gold medal‑winning Invictus athlete to trial the system. Former Royal Marine Commando Mark Ormrod is Britain’s first triple amputee from the Afghanistan conflict.

This innovative Jaguar Land Rover technology would be such a benefit to me and has real power to change lives for those who face problems getting in and out of the car. Opening and closing the car door may seem like such an insignificant task to many people but sometimes it’s the small, everyday obstacles which people take for granted that are most frustrating to overcome for those living with disabilities.

Mark Ormrod

Invictus Games gold medallist

Jaguar Land Rover research engineers developed the system on a laboratory rig over six months before testing it on a Range Rover Sport. As well as helping disabled people, they also see the technology as relevant to all future vehicles.

The mobility door is an exciting piece of technology that offers a real‑world value to our customers. There’s also something very welcoming about the door opening on your approach – something we think will be greatly valued as we become more familiar with shared mobility.

Xu Zhou

Deep Learning Technical Research Manager at Jaguar Land Rove

Further information

Editors’ notes

* Papworth Trust Disability Facts and Figures, 2018

** https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics‑explained/index.php?title=Disability_statistics_‑_barriers_to_social_integration

For more information visit www.media.jaguarlandrover.com or contact:

Sally Clift
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
T: +44 7469 039672
E:sclift2@jaguarlandrover.com

Notes to Editors

About Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover is the UK’s largest automotive manufacturer, built around two iconic British car brands: Land Rover, the world’s leading manufacturer of premium all‑wheel‑drive vehicles; and Jaguar, one of the world’s premier luxury sports saloon and sports car marques.

We employ more than 44,000 people globally and support around 260,000 more through our retailer network, suppliers and local businesses. Manufacturing is centred in the UK, with additional plants in China, Brazil, Austria and Slovakia.

At Jaguar Land Rover, we are driven by a desire to deliver class‑leading vehicles, which will provide experiences our customers will love, for life. Our products are in demand around the globe. In 2017 Jaguar Land Rover sold 621,109 vehicles in 130 countries, with more than 80 per cent of our vehicles being sold abroad.

Our innovation is continuous: we will spend in the region of £4.5 billion this year on new product creation and capital expenditure.

From 2020 all new Jaguar Land Rover vehicles will be electrified, giving our customers even more choice. We will introduce a portfolio of electrified products across our model range, embracing fully electric, plug‑in hybrid and mild hybrid vehicles as well as continuing to offer ultra‑clean petrol and diesel engines.

Jaguar Land Rover and the Invictus Games

Jaguar Land Rover is the Presenting Partner of the Invictus Games and has supported the Games since its inception. One of the many motivators for the partnership is Jaguar Land Rover’s ambition to find innovative ways to enhance the employment prospects of ex‑Service personnel moving into civilian life, including those who are wounded, injured or sick.

Jaguar Land Rover is committed to providing skilled career opportunities to those leaving the armed forces and has employed almost 1,000 ex‑Service personnel globally since 2014 – the year of the first Invictus Games.

The company has proudly supported five employees directly on their Invictus journey, with a further three employees competing in Sydney.

Jaguar Land Rover is using this year’s Invictus Games to lead and inform the debate on future mobility, and how its future technology could help people’s lives. This has included the chance for Invictus Games competitors to test Jaguar Land Rover’s autonomous technology ahead of the event, and provide feedback about how it could help their lives.

Mark Ormrod

Former Royal Marine Commando Mark Ormrod was out on a routine foot patrol in Helmand Province in 2007 when he stepped on and triggered an Improvised Explosive Device. He lost both his legs and right arm. He was the UK’s first triple amputee to survive the Afghanistan conflict. Despite his injuries, Mark has refused to let himself be defined by them. During his recovery the doctors told him that he’d never walk again and that he should prepare himself for the rest of his life in a wheelchair. He has not used a wheelchair since June 9th 2009.

Today, Mark Ormrod is an internationally acclaimed motivational speaker, an athlete, a peak performance coach, and the author of the award winning autobiography ‘Man Down’. He also competes in cycling, rowing and swimming at the Invictus Games. In 2017 Mark successfully won the Jaguar Award for exceptional performance at the Toronto Games. This year in Sydney, he claimed two gold medals in the indoor rowing events, the Men’s IR1 Four Minute Endurance and the Men’s IR1 One Minute Sprint.