Technology : Autonomous Cars

An autonomous car (driverless car, self-driving car, robotic car) is a vehicle that is
capable of sensing its environment and navigating without human input. Autonomous
vehicles detect surroundings using radar, lidar, GPS, odometry, and computer vision.
Advanced control systems interpret sensory information to identify appropriate navigation
paths, as well as obstacles and relevant signage. Autonomous cars have control systems that
are capable of analyzing sensory data to distinguish between different cars on the road, which
is very useful in planning a path to the desired destination. Some demonstrative systems,
precursory to autonomous cars, date back to the 1920s and 30s. The first self-sufficient (and
therefore, truly autonomous) cars appeared in the 1980s, with Carnegie Mellon
University's Navlab and
University

ALV projects

Munich's Eureka

in

1984

and Mercedes-Benz and Bundeswehr

Prometheus

Project in

1987.

The auto industry has been moving toward more autonomous vehicles for years. Americans
already drive cars with crash-warning systems, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping
systems, and self-parking technology.

Self-driving advocates contend that when this technology is perfected we can save 35,200
lives a year the number of auto-related traffic deaths last year in the U.S. because many
of us are bad drivers. "The argument goes that human error causes 90% of all accidents, so
lets get rid of the human driver," said Maddox of the American Center for Mobility. "But that
overlooks that we drive 100 million miles between fatal accidents. We overestimate the short
comings of human drivers." Autonomous vehicles can dramatically reduce the frequency of
crashes. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, nearly a third of crashes
and fatalities could be prevented if all vehicles had forward collision and lane-departure
warning,

side-view

(blind

spot)

assist,

and

adaptive

headlights.

Further automation is expected to save more lives, like automatic braking when the car
detects an obstacle will reduce rear-end collisions, and fully driverless cars will dramatically
reduce human error, which is responsible for most fatalities and crashes. They have sensors
designed to detect objects as far as two football fields away in all directions, including
pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles or even fluttering plastic shopping bags and rogue

birds. The software processes all the information to help the car safely navigate the road
without

getting

tired

or

distracted.

Currently, many people do not drive because they are disabled or too young. Autonomous
vehicles will increase mobility for these populations, which may increase their social
interaction, health, job opportunities, and happiness! Steve Mahan, a blind person, makes a
strong appeal for driverless cars in a video released by Google. The video shows Mr. Mahan
in the drivers seat of their autonomous Prius completing what for others may look like
everyday chores but what for some groups of our society is extremely hard: Picking up
laundry from the cleaners, fetching something to eat at an arbitrary fast-food restaurant. The
freedom to move is a great accomplishment of modern society. Young people anxiously look
forward to the time when they can drive around on their own, going wherever they want. But
we forget that large groups are excluded from this freedom: Those with disabilities, the
elderly (who may find it hard to continue living in their own home when they can no longer
drive a car), the young (whose parents often find themselves in the role of personal
chauffeur) and the poor who cannot afford their own car.

Autonomous vehicle technology could also substantially reduce the cost of congestion
because vehicle occupants could undertake other activities. It is possible that this decreased
cost of driving might lead overall vehicle miles traveled to increase, potentially increasing
actual congestion. However, the technology can also enable increased throughput on roads
because of more efficient vehicle operation and reduced delays from crashes, so the overall
effect on congestion is still uncertain. As an article from Forbes points out, there is also a
cost savings associated with time. When a computer takes over the driving responsibilities,
drivers can use that time to do other things, like catch up on reading or chat with passengers,
all without having to worry too much about road safety. According to Eno Transportation,
self-driving cars in large number participate in a behavior known as platooning, which would
significantly improve traffic conditions and congestion. This would help to reduce commute
times for drivers in high-traffic areas but also to maximize on gasoline usage.
Automobiles have become heavier over the past 20 years, partly to meet more rigorous crash-

test standards. If crashes become exceedingly rare, it may be possible to make lighter
automobiles and reduce fuel use. Driverless cars will waste less fuel on things like looking
for parking. Fully autonomous vehicles could simply drop off passengers in urban centers and
drive away to satellite parking areas. One MIT study found that in congested urban areas,
about 40 percent of total gasoline use in cars is spent as drivers look for parking.
Presumably, intelligent self-driving cars wouldn't have this problem. Driverless cars will
make car-sharing more popular, which will mean fewer vehicles on the road. Further, vehiclesharing programs could decrease the rate of car ownership. Thus, autonomous cars also
could improve land use in several ways. Currently, about 31 percent of the space in the
central

business

districts

of

41

major

cities

is

dedicated

to

parking.

However, there is also disadvantages for driving a autonomous car. Just having the ability
to operate a self-driving car would require an education on the driver's part, according to
Teletrac. While the computer takes over once the vehicle is operational, the driver would still
be required to maintain some knowledge about how to operate it safely. Full development of
self-driving cars still raises a lot of questions and concerns on behalf of drivers, so it's
unclear how full adoption of the technology might be. Many individuals are nervous about
handing over all the power to a computer, which could malfunction and put the driver in a
more dangerous situation than if the driver were manning the vehicle himself or herself. It's
unclear how self-driving cars would maneuver through hazards like roadblocks or unique
local driving laws. A good example is the difference between states regarding turning right on
red. The computers could have difficulty identifying the different local and state rules
with regard to the road.

Though successful programming lets us do incredible things, there is always the potential
for some unexpected glitch to emerge. Even if a self-driving car performs flawlessly at first,
it is possible for the programming that runs the cars to be updated by the car company with a
fault string of code. Errors like this cause annoyance on our computers and mobile devices,
but could potentially cause car accidents with self-driving cars. Car manufacturers also will
have to deal with the issue of sensor failure. Developing the infrastructure to allow systems
such as traffic signals to communicate with these cars also will be complex and potentially
costly, and making sure the technology is secure from hackers is another concern. Finally,

despite growing interest in autonomous vehicle technology, it may be too expensive for
widespread

adoption.

Though the companies testing self-driving cars claim all pros and no cons, using a selfdriving car means a third party would have the opportunity to track your movements.
While many companies will likely avoid this due to consumer backlash, a massive loss of
privacy still exists. Because your car would be receiving or communicating with data
centers, your location would be potentially accessible to people or organizations who could
hack into the network.

All in all, self-driving cars have the potential to be an incredible new wave in the future of
humanity. Increased productivity, rest time, and possibly eliminating risk while driving, have
the potential to greatly improve all of our lives. Should self-driving cars be available to the
public before certain safety and privacy considerations are solved however, they may also
present serious new complications for consumers. Regardless, self- driving cars present a
wide

range

of

uses,

and

mammoth

new

technological

world.

There's a lot of promise and opportunity associated with self-driving cars, but there are also a
lot of questions and concerns. The technology is still being developed and tested, so
workarounds for some of the above-mentioned problems might be created as of yet, but the
system is not perfect at present. There is some solutions to improve the autonomous cars.

Driverless vehicles will need to be even safer than that, Shladover said. Given existing
software, "that is amazingly difficult to do," he said. That's because no software in laptops,
phones or other modern devices is designed to operate for extended periods without freezing,
crashing or dropping a call and similar errors would be deadly in a car. Right now, Google's
self-driving cars avoid this by having both a backup driver and a second person as a
monitor. But coming up with safety-critical, fail-safe software for completely driverless cars
would require reimagining how software is designed.

Once driverless cars begin to proliferate, they will need a much better way to
communicate with other vehicles on the road. As different situations emerge, these cars will
need to flexibly adjust to other cars on the roadways, reroute on the fly and talk to other
driverless cars. But right now, communication among individual self-driving cars is minimal.
"If they don't have the communication capability, they will probably make traffic worse than
it is today," Shladover said. Lastly, further research should be conducted to better quantify the
likely costs and benefits of the technology and, just as importantly, to whom they will accrue.

**Appendices**:

Sensors
Lasers, radars
and cameras
detect objects
in all
Interior
Designed for
riding, not for
driving
Electric
batteries
To power the
vehicle
**REFERENCES**:
1. https://www.google.com/search?

Rounded shape
Maximizes sensor
field of view

Computer
Designed
specifically for
self-driving
Back-up systems
For steering,
braking,
computing and

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KEwiOxrDzyf_NAhVJuI8KHQzVAEUQhyYIJQ#imgrc=_
2. https://www.google.com/search?
q=autonomous+car&biw=1024&bih=499&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ah
UKEwjAj9_wyf_NAhWKgI8KHQUYBpkQ_AUICCgD
3. https://www.google.com/search?
biw=1024&bih=499&tbm=isch&q=google+autonomous+car&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEw
iOxrDzyf_NAhVJuI8KHQzVAEUQhyYIHA

4. http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/unbelievable-benefits-and-drawbacks-the5.
6.
7.
8.
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self-driving-car.html
https://www.google.com/selfdrivingcar/how/
http://www.rand.org/news/press/2014/01/06.html
http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR443-2.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_car
http://www.autoinsurancecenter.com/top-20-pros-and-cons-associated-with-self-

driving-cars.htm
10. https://sites.google.com/site/autonomoussystemsmw/autonomous-cars/advantagesand-disadvantages
11. https://sites.google.com/site/unibathautonomouscars/services
12. https://axleaddict.com/safety/Advantages-and-Disadvantages-of-Driverless-Cars
13. http://www.driverless-future.com/
14. http://www.livescience.com/50841-future-of-driverless-cars.html