Say Hello To Self-Driving Cars

If your kids were at summer camp and forgot their snacks, a car could deliver them without the assistance of a driver. You could even send your dog to a veterinary appointment all by itself. Wondering how this is possible without human involvement? Self-Driving Vehicles are available to help you.

Driving is among the most difficult tasks that humans engage in on a regular basis. Following a set of traffic rules ,making eye contact with other drivers to identify who has the right of way and react to weather conditions is what a driver has to do.

In Self-driving vehicles, all of this information is processed by the algorithms to create a picture of where other cars, bicycles, pedestrians, and obstacles are located and how they’re moving. Read on to know more about the Self-driving cars.

What is a Self-Driving Car?

A self-driving or an autonomous car is a vehicle that is capable of sensing its surroundings and operates without the need of human involvement. A human passenger is not required to take over the control of the car at any time, nor is a human passenger needed to be present in the vehicle at all. A self-driving car can go anywhere a regular car goes and do everything a qualified human driver can do.

How Does a Self-Driving Car Operate?

The working of autonomous vehicles is based on sensors, actuators, complex algorithms, machine learning systems, and powerful processors used to run software. Autonomous vehicles create and maintain a map of their surroundings with the help of a number of sensors located throughout it. Radar sensors help to keep an eye on the movement of surrounding cars.

Video cameras help to detect traffic signals, read and interpret road signs,track other vehicles, and check for pedestrians. LIDAR (light detection and ranging) sensors measure distances, identify ends or edges of roads, and recognize lane markings by bouncing light pulses off the car’s surroundings. While parking the vehicle, ultrasonic sensors in the wheels detect obstacles and other cars.

After processing all of this sensory data, sophisticated software plots a route for the vehicle and gives commands to the vehicle’s actuators, which control acceleration, braking, and steering. The software follows traffic regulations and navigates obstacles with the help of hard-coded rules, obstacle avoidance algorithms, predictive modelling, and object recognition.

Levels of Autonomous Vehicles

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has defined five major levels of autonomy for autonomous vehicles, ranging from Level 0 (completely manual) to Level 5 (completely autonomous).

Level 0: No Driving Automation
The majority of automobiles on the road today are manual, making them level 0. In these vehicles, the driver is in charge of all real-time functions necessary to operate the vehicle. At this level, however, certain automatic features are in place to assist the driver, such as an emergency braking system and standard cruise control.

Level 1: Driver Assistance
While most vehicles on the road are manual, many newer models have automated driving assistance technologies like adaptive cruise control and lane control assist. These features contribute to the overall safety of the car and driver. However, the driver is still in charge of most of the tasks such as as steering and braking.

Level 2- Partial Automation
A significant feature of level 2 Automation is Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). These vehicles can brake, accelerate, and take over steering on their own. However, they are not totally autonomous vehicles, as the driver retains control and must always keep an eye on the road.

Level 3- Conditional Automation
A level 3 automobile can drive itself using an autonomous driving system (ADS), but only in certain circumstances. While these are not completely autonomous vehicles, they can go long distances on highways by themselves. At this level, having both hands on the wheel is not required, but the driver must always be prepared to take back control if such a situation arises.

Level 4- High Automation
At level 4 of automation, cars can operate in the self-driving mode but this is not the same as being totally autonomous. Rather, this means that the automobile can handle the driving functions without the driver’s input, even in difficult situations. At level 4, a driver can still take control of the automobile and override the self-driving mode.
Despite the fact that there are a few level 4 cars on the road now (with more likely on the way), regulation and infrastructure are yet to catch up with the technology. As a result, level 4 automobiles are frequently restricted to limited areas and speeds.

Level 5- Full Automation
This level is concerned with fully autonomous vehicles, which are capable of performing all driving responsibilities across all road conditions. There is no need for a driver at this level. Even while most of the technology and software for a completely autonomous automobile is already in place, it will likely be a few years before the general public sees one on the road.

Challenges With Autonomous Cars

Fully autonomous vehicles are being tested in many countries across the world, but none are yet available to the general public. We still might be a long way off from that. The challenges range from technological to legal to environmental and philosophical in nature. The following are a few of the challenges in the way of autonomous vehicles:

1. LIDAR and RADAR- Lidar instruments are expensive, and still trying to figure out the right balance between range and resolution. We don’t have an idea about,if several autonomous cars drive on the same road,would their lidar signals interfere with one another? If multiple radio frequencies are available, will the frequency range be sufficient to allow mass production of driver less automobiles ?
2. Traffic and Road Signals- Would self-driving cars face difficulties passing through tunnels or across bridges? How would they manage rush-hour traffic conditions? Would these cars be restricted to a single lane? These are a few of the questions for which we are currently seeking answers.
3. Accident Liability- Who is responsible for accidents caused by autonomous cars? The manufacturer,the human co-passenger, or the car owner? According to the most recent designs, a completely autonomous Level 5 automobile would not have a dashboard or a steering wheel, meaning that a human passenger will not be able to take control of the vehicle in an emergency.

Over the last several years, the buzz surrounding self-driving vehicles has increased with many major tech companies getting behind the concept. Google’s Waymo division was established to develop and market consumer-ready self-driving cars throughout the world.
The company, along with a number of companies in the IT and auto industries, is claiming that self-driving cars will revolutionize how we travel around the world in the near future.

Despite some remarkable improvements, fully autonomous vehicles are yet not seen on the roads. Cars that could automatically stop for you if they suspect a collision, that help maintain your car in the lane, and that can mainly manage highway driving are the only technologies in the market.

Whatever be the debate about autonomous vehicles, these cars are on their way- and they’re coming quickly. It will take time for them to reach full acceptance, but their ease, low cost, and other reasons will make them ubiquitous and necessary. Just as any other technological revolution, companies who prepare ahead, react quickly, and imagine the most will survive and prosper.