Argumentative Essay On Self Driving Cars

539 Words2 Pages

They once seemed preposterous, the things of science fiction movies and comic books detailing a utopian society of some sort. Yet here they are, on the streets, their existance no longer a distant fantasy but a very real issue in the world today. Self-driving cars are finally a reality. With this reality, however, comes questions. How do they work on a mechanical level? What are some problems that could come with them? How does this benefit society? There are many answers to all these questions.
Since the idea of the driverless car was first introduced, many people have been left to wonder how, exactly, a driverless car would work. A variaty of sensors, whic can be generalized into five different catagories, are crucial to the underlying mechanisms of a driverles vehicle. The first and most recognizable would be a GPS unit, used to find the route the car would take. This technology would be enhanced with readings from tachometers, altimeters, and gyroscopes to provide a more accurate positioning of the vehicle. Lidar sensors would be used to identify lanes and the sides of the road by bouncing light off of the vehicle’s surroundings. Cameras would detect signs, pedestrians, and other possible obstacles. Radar sensors would be used for the specific purpose of …show more content…

At this point in development, the largest problem has been nothing to do with the mechanics of the car itself, but rather the unpredictability of human drivers nearby. To dictate the issue in simple terms, driverless cars are programmed to follow the rules of the road down to the letter; however, humans are not so functional, often taking their own approach to driving. Consequesntly, often a situation arises where the decision a car makes is the wrong one- it does not coincide with the unwritten rules of the road that the majority of the people in an area might follow, even if it follows the formal

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