Putting the Auto in Autopilot

PUTTING THE AUTO IN AUTOPILOT: AUTO PILOT DRIVERLESS CARS & THE END OF DISTRACTED DRIVING FROM THE MOTOR CITY TO HOLLYWOOD TO SILICON VALLEY, THERE HAS BEENA GROWING INTEREST IN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES FOR YEARS. WITH DRIVERLESS CARS NOW BEING TESTED, THE NEXT HURDLE TO OVERCOME IS STATE LEGISLATION. SO BUCKLE UP, WE'RE HITTING THE ROAD. FUTURISTIC FEATURES? NOT ANYMORE! RADAR LIDAR A rooftop ranging system comprised of 64 lasers paints a 360-degree picture of the car's surroundings that is accurate to wi thin 2 centimeters. Accident-prevention systems trigger alerts when they detect something in a car's blind spot. STEREO VISION Two windshield-mounted cameras build a real-time 3D image of the road ahead, spotting hazards like pedestrians and animals. LANE GUIDANCE Cameras mounted behind the rear-view mirror INFRARED CAMERA recognize lane markings, spotting the contrast between the road surface and boundary lines. Two infrared headlamps extend your vision at night without blinding other drivers. The signature of the infrared beam is detected by a camera, which displays an illuminated image on the dashboard. 6 GPS GPS is accurate to within 1.9 meters. With GPS covering the macro location of a vehicle, smaller on-deck cameras can recognize smaller details like red lights, stop signs, and construction zones. WHEEL ENCODER Wheel-mounted sensors measure the velocity of the car as it maneuvers through traffic. SAY GOODBYE TO DISTRACTIONS IN A SURVEY BY THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED WHAT DRIVING DISTRACTIONS THEY FREQUENTLY ENGAGED IN. 80% 45% 30% ------- - - - - Talking to other passengers Eating/drinking Using portable music player 65% 27% .... 40% ----- - ----- - Adjusting the car radio Making/accepting phone calls Interacting with children in the back seat IN 2009, THERE WERE OVER 5,000 KILLED AND 450,000 INJURED DISTRACTED DRIVING IS A FACTOR IN DISTRACTED DRIVING COSTS SOCIETY ABOUT OF POLICE REPORTED 25% CRASHES AND ACCOUNTS FOR $230 BILLION/YEAR 16% OF ALL DUE TỔ DISTRACTED DRIVING TRAFFIC FATALITIES WITH A DRIVERLESS CAR, ALL OF THESE DISTRACTIONS WOULD BE ERASED FROM THE EQUATION, RESULTING IN FEWER CAR ACCIDENTS, INJURIES, AND DEATHS. SO.WHEN CAN I BUY ONE? O In June 2011, NEVADA passed Assembly Bill No. 511, the first state law officially sanctioning driverless vehicles. Laws related to driverless cars have also been introduced in NV 2 HAWAII and 3 FLORIDA. Audi Go gle VOLVO General Motors, Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Volvo, and Google are each currently testing driverless cars, WITH INTENTIONS TO MAKE VEHICLES AVAILABLE FOR MASS PRODUCTION BY 2018. 3 FL 2 HI LOOKING FORWARD With distracted driving accounting for hundreds of thousands of accidents each year, there is now more need for autonomous vehicles than ever. The technology to manufacture these vehicles is already in existence; but before the public will have a chance to get in the passenger seat of a driverless car, the other 47 states need to join Nevada, Florida, and Hawaii in proposing legislation allowing autonomous vehicles. PRODUCED BY THE LAW OFFICES OF DANIEL R. ROSEN http://www.danielrrosen.com/blog SOURCES: WIRED MAGAZINE | NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SA FETY ADMINISTRATION SURVEY | STANFORD LAW SCHOOL