Autonomous Vehicles

An autonomous vehicle (AV), also known as driverless car, robo-car, or robotic car, is a vehicle that is capable of sensing its environment and moving safely with little or no human input. It utilizes a fully automated driving system & how this technology is deployed will change how we get around forever.

Introduction

An autonomous vehicle (also known as a driverless car, self-driving car, robotic car) is a self-driving vehicle that can sense its environment and navigate without human input.

Autonomous cars use a variety of techniques to detect their surroundings, such as radar, laser light, 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 must have control systems that are capable of analyzing sensory data to distinguish between different cars on the road.

Application of Technology

Self-driving cars may not yet be fully legal in most geographies, but their potential for saving lives, cutting pollution, boosting economies, and improving quality of life for the elderly and other segments of society has led to rapid deployment of key technology forerunners along the way to full autonomy. Some of the potential benefits of autonomous cars are listed below:

Reduced mobility and infrastructure costs
Increased safety – travelers relived from driving-related stress
Increased mobility – ease for children, elderly, disabled and poor
Increased customer satisfaction and reduced crime
Significant reduction in traffic collisions
Reduction in related costs like accidental medical costs, insurance costs, fuel costs, etc
Prediction of traffic flow - flow could be more efficient and congestion decreased
Facilitate business models for transportation as a service

Business Case Example

Many autonomous driving systems are evolving, but as of 2017, no cars permitted on public roads were fully autonomous. They all require a human at the wheel who must be ready to take control at any time. Industry players are developing dynamic HD maps, accurate within inches, that would afford the car’s sensors some geographic foresight, allowing it to calculate its precise position relative to fixed landmarks. Tesla, Google, Uber, and several major automakers are working on experimenting to develop fully autonomous vehicles.

Robot Tractor: A startup called Built Robotics is testing what it thinks is the future of construction: the autonomous track loader specifically designed to work in the high-vibration, the high-impact world of construction excavation designed to excavate holes for the foundations of buildings.

Testing on Roads: The California Department of Motor Vehicles will allow autonomous cars without steering wheels, foot pedals, mirrors, and human drivers behind the wheel to be tested on its roads starting 2018.