Life has become easier and easier by the day as digitalization and artificial intelligence penetrate daily life activities. Today even driving doesn’t have to be a hassle. You can drive even if you don’t know how to!
Autonomous or self-driving cars are among the latest technological developments, and their use is gradually increasing. For context, an autonomous vehicle drives on its own without any human intervention.
Self-driving cars work with the help of a series of technologies, including GPS, cameras, rangefinders, sonar sensors, radar, computer vision, laser lights, and more. Essentially, a self-driving car can detect its environment, knows traffic rules, understands the route, and interacts with other vehicles and obstacles.
Autonomous cars are gradually becoming more acceptable, though many countries still do not permit driverless vehicles. But, there are only bright prospects for this new technology. The following are some fascinating facts you should know about autonomous driving:
1. It is more than just ‘self-drive’ or not: there are multiple levels of automation
A common misconception is whether a vehicle is autonomous or not. In reality, up to 5 basic levels of automation reflect the extent to which the driving experience is automated.
The extent of automation varies based on in-vehicle data labeling, which refers to creating algorithms for the autonomous car, giving it artificial intelligence and enabling it to sense and respond to environmental cues autonomously.
On the other hand, traditional cars fall on the ‘zero automation’ level; here, there may be warning systems but other than that, all control is with the driver.
The second is ‘level 1’, where the driver is assisted in braking or steering. At level 2, there is partial assistance, where the car accelerates, steers, and brakes on its own, but the driver still has control of the steering wheel.
Level 4 is ‘high automation’ where save for special cases like extreme weather conditions, the car’s system takes over the entire driving process. Lastly, at level 5, zero percent intervention is needed from the driver.
2. Some automated cars don’t have a steering wheel or pedals!
Yes, that’s right! Self-driving cars don’t need a steering wheel or pedals. It is also true that many automated cars do have these two essential components, but they are not on level 5 of automation.
Since any level below five would demand human intervention at one point or another, a steering wheel and pedals are a must. However, fully automated cars don’t need them, and companies are using the additional space that comes with this interesting feature to incorporate other amazing features.
Since autonomous driving is most widely used for long-distance travel, the extra space can be used effectively for storing belongings. The vehicle becomes more of an enormous and spacious cabin for travel.
3. You can ‘call’ your vehicle to come fetch you
Another relatively new development in autonomous cars, introduced by Tesla, is the feature that allows you to ‘summon’ your vehicle to come to pick you up so long as you are within 150 feet of it.
Tesla, for instance, has planned on introducing a ‘Find me’ option with which your vehicle will find you wherever you are with its GPS.
Alternatively, you could send a pin to give it your location, and it will come maneuvering through the hurdles to where you are. You can do various other things using its standalone app.
4. They eliminate human error and make driving safe
The main reason self-driving cars existed was to prevent human errors while driving. More often than not, some human mistake causes an accident, not an external factor or environmental condition.
Automated driving has reduced the risk of crashes significantly. In fact, the first-ever accident that involved an autonomous car was when a human driver rear-ended the self-driving car. The majority of the accidents involving self-driving vehicles were because of human errors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that human error is the cause of 94% of all traffic accidents. Since autonomous driving eliminates human error, it should help reduce the risk.
Unfortunately, many legal advisory companies are not as enthusiastic about autonomous cars and see them as a risk. However, the statistics supporting the idea that self-driving cars are a risk in road accidents are outdated; these vehicles are becoming safer as they come.
5. Most self-driving cars are designed to absorb the impact of a collision
Even if your autonomous vehicle does collide, manufacturers have ensured that they absorb the shock and minimize harm to the occupants. Most have flexible windscreens and foam bumpers to absorb the impact.
This technology ensures that pedestrians and occupants are saved from any major threat. In fact, Waymo, a spin-off of Google’s autonomous car, has received a patent for introducing a new technology; the vehicle will automatically soften, reducing its rigidity when it collides with a pedestrian.
The car’s motion sensors will be able to identify a potential collision before it happens and activate its ‘tension members’ to soften the body and prevent harm.
6. They can see even in the dark
Your autonomous car’s vision is most likely clearer than your own! Ford’s self-driving vehicles can ‘see’ even without light. Special sensors allow them to detect obstacles and curves even in complete darkness.
Ford reports that its driverless car could go 60 mph around a curve with no light. The vehicle uses Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and 3D maps; it can send out a beam of light that reflects off surfaces and notes the presence of obstacles.
Final words
Autonomous driving is expected to become the new norm soon; while this new technology has garnered skepticism, there is a gradual increase in its acceptance. Self-driving cars are expected only to grow over the years with the joint efforts of automobile manufacturers, tech experts, and the government.
At present, many states have yet to introduce laws regarding autonomous vehicles. Very soon, we will likely see a surge in automated cars and an increased acceptance of this new technology.