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
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
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.
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.
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.
Self-driving cars are now hitting a few roadways in America, and are showing people just a small glimpse into what could be the future of automobiles. Although Google’s self-driving cars are getting a lot of attention now, the idea of a self-driving car has been around for quite a while actually. These cars have been tested to their limits, but the American people have yet to adopt the technology into their everyday lives. A brief description of their history, how they work, and finally answer the question, will self-driving cars ever be adopted widely by the American public?
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
In the end, despite these concerns and issues, the fact remains, self-driving vehicles are the way of the future. They are here and they are here to
Thesis: We are already incredibly innovated when it comes to vehicular technology. We already have things like cruise control, which allows tou remain at a constant speed without having to have your foot on the gas the whole time. Car manufacturers have also come up with othe useful tools like, automatic braking, lane control, and rearview cameras. With all these features that are being added to cars it's no wonder that cmpanies like Google, Uber, China's Baidu, and Apple are working to create a self-driving car, but would that be the best idea? Support 1:
One reason why self-driving should not replace human drivers is because instead of solving day to day issues that are presented on the road they instead create more problems. For example, unlike a human driver who relies on their survival skills and intelligence these self-driving cars rely on their “perfect”
To continue, there will be cameras in order to spot pedestrians so there wont be a problem of possibly hitting a person. The cars will also be installed with a GPS which will be used to send information to the computer to tell the car where its destination is. Clearly, self driving cars will not only improve the rate of death due to car accidents but they will also manage to allow people to relax more and have a better road trip. Self driving cars will solve so many world wide problems due to car
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
Although there are issues with implementing self-driving cars on the roads today, self-driving cars can ultimately benefit society. According to public announcements made by companies like Tesla and Nissan, we may start seeing self-driving cars on the roads within the next 3 to 6 years [Ref. 1 and 2].
Transportation is one of the most important services that is required by humans today. With the earth becoming more connected every day people are moving from place to place much more often. It is sad, however, that with this change “Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death of teenagers in the U.S.” (Weiland), Most cars still overwhelmingly consume fuel over hybrids or others, and in recent years carbon emissions have been directly linked to the destruction of the environment. This lack of concern has been accepted for quite some time, but technology is on the brink of a breakthrough that could save millions of lives and the environment too, with the use of self-driving cars. Self-Driving cars could revolutionize transport by
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.