1. Introduction/overview of topic and issues to be discussed: While the idea of self-driving cars seems futuristic and far away, society is actually very close to seeing them on the road. Taking the wheel away from humans and putting them into the hands of computers and artificial intelligence will obviously change travel forever. As a result, there are many questions that need to be addressed before people feel comfortable trusting automated vehicles. What type of technology will be necessary to ensure self-driving cars operate safely and think like humans? Will they really make roads safer? Will people buy them? How will they affect traffic? 2. History of cars and self-driving vehicles First, lets begin with the progression of cars towards Early innovations included the electric starter, four-wheel hydraulic brakes, windshield wipers, automatic transmission, power steering, front-wheel drive, and independent suspension. By the 1940s, as cars were already established in society and began to modernize, manufacturers started improving the appearance of cars and the power of engines (Hosansky). In the 21st century, environmental concerns drove manufacturers to design electric cars and hybrid engine cars. Constant developments caused some people, including Francis P. Houdina, to dream of science fiction type scenarios when one day, cars could drive themselves (Hosansky). In 1925, Houdina presented a radio-controlled, driverless car that navigated traffic on Broadway and Fifth Avenue in New York City (Hosansky). Houdina’s vehicle had an antenna that allowed it to be controlled by a second car, which followed closely and sent out radio signals. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, testing proved that buried magnetic cables could manipulate cars. Yet, technological advancement had some believing that vehicles could be designed to operate themselves without special roadway devices (Hosansky). Congress passed legislation in 1991 requesting that the U.S. Department of Transportation present an automated vehicle and highway system. This legislation sparked multiple demonstrations of automated vehicles, such as While most people haven’t noticed, many of the important features that would be required for self-driving cars already exist. Many vehicles utilize Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, or ADAS, such as rearview cameras, lane monitoring, and self-braking systems (Snyder). As one could imagine, employing enough ADAS essentially allows vehicles to operate themselves. Another concern of self-driving vehicles is their ability to react to obstacles and obey traffic laws. Google has implemented a laser system and other sensors to account for this issue. Google engineer Chris Urmson, states that the Velodyne 64-beam laser, “is the heart of our system” (Guizzo). The laser produces a comprehensive 3D map of the surrounding environment; then the car uses the laser measurements and other maps to analyze data models, allowing it to drive while avoiding obstacles and respecting traffic laws. Additionally, four radars attached on the front and rear bumpers enable the car to "see" far enough to assess fast traffic on freeways and a camera positioned near the rear-view mirror that identifies traffic lights makes it seem as if a human is behind the wheel
Ford is also now saying that its company will have a selection of Self-driving cars by 2021. In conclusion, Self-driving cars are a very sophisticated project. Because of that, people ask how do they work and when are they officially being released? Now that car manufactures have developed the technology, different companies are rumoring about self-driving cars.
For a while, Self Driving Cars, have never really been a thought, to be thought about in the driving industry. It has always been the regular transportation, like regular cars, trains and other types of transportation for getting around. It was crazy enough to have thought about self driving cars, but now to start to make and produce self driving cars, is even crazier. The question is, is it safe to have these cars on the road? Also what kind of hazards might these vehicles be for people who decide to purchase them? Bob Lutz from (www.cnbc.com) states that “"The autonomous car doesn't drink, doesn't do drugs, doesn't text while driving, doesn't get road rage,". This shows that in Bob’s opinion, the self driving car, could be safer than the
GM is already producing the technology catering to the autonomous driving system in instalments as each new car produced, displays a prototype of a sophisticated “assisted driving” feature. Drivers of the Cadillac ATS sedan, a mid-sized car with a driver assistance, can now leave it to drive itself and maintain a safe distance in steady traffic. It can also measure a parking space and steer itself into it, read traffic signals, and warn the driver if he breaks the speed limit. Emergency brakes that overrule the driver’s actions in the case of an accident, add to special features that will be seen in automatic cars.
The idea of a self-driving vehicle became widespread to the public after GM’s Futurama exhibit at the 1939 World’s Fair according to Wired.com (2012), the exhibit GM NavLab 5 was equipped with a portable computer, a windshield-mounted camera, a GPS receiver, and other supplementary equipment. The longest drive without human intervention was almost 70 miles. This was a great accomplishment, and showed that sometime soon these cars could be fit for the roadways across America. A similar trip was done by the University Of Parma’s VISLAB in 2010 drove 16,000 kilometers through nine countries in 100 days. They hit a bit of a roadblock in Russia where the car was involved in an accident, but it was caused by human error.
Companies like Google, Tesla and Nissan, among others, have announced over the past few years that their companies are trying to develop self-driving or autonomous cars [Ref. 1 and 2]. Self-driving cars can provide many benefits to the average consumer. Studies have shown that because computers can react and process information many times faster than a human being, crashes on streets and roads can be decreased with quick and consistent evasion maneuvers by the autonomous car. They can also help maximize fuel economy by calculating the most direct and fastest routes. When the driving of an autonomous car demonstrates that the computer can safely and reliably transport the passengers to their destination, this frees up the passengers to do other things that they would not normally be able to do if they were driving the car manually. For this reason, self-driving cars can help maximize productivity of their passengers.
The term autonomous refers to the capability of acting independently, or having the freedom to do so. A self-driving car is an autonomous car, which has the ability to sense its environment and navigating without any human operations. These types of cars are built to make safe and smart decisions on the road. In the past years, automobile companies have begun to introduce advanced driver assistance systems that are capable of parking, switching lanes, and braking in case of an emergency on their own, without the driver’s assistance. Automated vehicles are capable of maneuvering through street traffic, as well as other natural and man-made obstacles along the way. Therefore, this technology might completely change the methods of transportation.
The goals behind self-driving cars are to decrease collisions, traffic jams and the use of gas and harmful pollutants. The autonomous automobile is able to maneuver around objects and create swift lines of cars on roadways (How Google’s self-Driving Car Works, 2011). The autonomous vehicle can react faster than humans can, meaning less accidents and the potential to save thousands of lives. Another purpose and vision for these cars is that vehicles would become a shared resource. When someone needed a car, he or she could just use his or her Smartphone and a self-sufficient car would drive up and pick him or her up.
Along with the technical advances the google car has there is also a long list of features the Google car also possesses; the google car is programmed to drive itself, it is able to traverse busy streets and can navigate comfortably on freeways, although it is still best to have a driver at the wheel. The team at Google car has software built into the car, focused on the regular challenges of driving in the city, like bicyclists and walking pedestrians. The software plots the car 's path accordingly - then reacts if something unexpected
People around the world are constantly moving from place to place. Whether that place is work, a restaurant, or home, people require a means of transportation in order to arrive at a desired destination safely and efficiently. One of the most used means of transportation today are cars. Cars play an important role in the world’s economy by transporting goods and people. Automobiles have come a long way since Ford’s first Model T, and the auto industry plans to further enhance the technology and capabilities of the cars that drive on our roads. New technological advancements like rear-view camera, self parking, and auto braking have greatly improved the overall safety of cars today. However, one of the most talked about ideas are autonomous
Not long ago, when people talking about self-driving cars, most of them would feel that is far away from us. But today, we can see from news that many IT companies are already created their own self-driving technologies. Self-driving cars can use a variety of technologies, like GPS, radar, computer version, to avoid obstacle and explore surrounding environments. In order to drive safely, self-driving technologies include drifting warning, blind-spot detectors, enhanced cruise control and self-parking. The first self-driving technologies can be traced from 1980s, with Carnegie Mellon University in 1984. At present, companies which are developing self-driving cars include Apple, Google, Facebook, Uber, Volvo, Ford, Tesla, Baidu. Why do so many top companies want to develop self-driving
Self-driving cars are the wave of the future. There is much debate regarding the impact a self-driving car will have on our society and economy. Some experts believe fully autonomous vehicles will be on the road in the next 5-10 years (Anderson). This means a vehicle will be able to drive on the road without a driver or any passengers. Like any groundbreaking technology, there is a fear of the unforeseen problems. Therefore, there will need to be extensive testing before anyone can feel safe with a vehicle of this style on the road. It will also take time for this type of technology to become financially accessible to the masses, but again alike any technology with time it should be possible. Once the safety concern has been fully addressed
Technology is evolving faster than ever these days, however there is one technology that could revolutionize the transportation industry. This technology is called autonomous cars, also known as self-driving cars. Autonomous cars can be defined as a vehicle that is capable of sensing its environment, and navigating without human input. Using different techniques such as GPS and radar, autonomous cars can detect surroundings, thus removing the human element in driving. This would have a positive effect in more ways than we could ever imagine. Research suggests that self-driving cars will become more abundant in the future because they will be more cost-effective, enhance safety, and decrease traffic congestion.
Although there are no self-driving cars on the road today, companies are working diligilently to get them up and running sometime soon. Self driving cars use radar and a thing called lidar, this is a rotating laser mounted on top of the car that continually scans the environment around the car. Various cameras, accelerometers, gyroscopes and GPS which are all used to build a 3D picture around the vehicle. The most complex part is the software, which collects the data, analyses it and drives the vehicle, so its basically a big computer. With that the "biggest concers," as stated in the video How Do Driverless Cars Work , "Virus, malfuction, and hacks."
Stephen Mahan, the first person to drive a self driven car, states, “No hands, no feet!”. Self driving cars should be allowed on today’s roads because of the fact, they keep everyone safe. Self driving cars have parking simplicity, reduce accidents, and oblige through the day. “Self-Driving Car Test” by Google began by its extraordinary technology. The self driving car has sensors that collect 1,000,000 data points per second, and lasers that capture 360° angle view.
Like it or not, humans can be unpredictable and in a logical system of roadways, this human aspect can cause major problems. It is shown that many deaths in America can be linked back to automobile accidents. Self-driving cars will make a tremendous impact on this even in the early stages of its implementation. In fact, “81 percent of car crashes are the result of human error” (“Top 20”). This, of course, would be completely nulled if cars drove themselves.