Inside The Car Of The Future (autonomous cars)

Inside the car of the future Since the automobile was invented, carmakers have been adding features to reduce driver error. Today, a vast network of computers and sensors mostly control standard automobiles, with the driver being only one piece of the puzzle. Fully automatic cars used to be mere science fiction, but now it's becoming reality. Features of autonomous cars.. Where in the U.S. are autonomous In the future, steering wheels, brakes, gas pedals and other major devices will likely be removed from fully automatic cars. cars legal? Lidar (light detection & ranging)... has a precise radar and sonar that detects objects in motion (i.e. other cars and pedestrians). maps points in space by beaming a scanner's 64 rotating lasers from the roof of the vehicle. records million measurements/sec. to form 3D Continental and partner IBM plan to have autonomous cars on the road by 2015. Google predicts its autonomous cars will be ready in about four years. models that is accurate to less than half an inch. Preloaded 3D map... • indicates to the computer where traffic lights, stop signs and crosswallks are located. • includes scenarios for surrounding road hazards (i.e. construction). • recognizes hand signals by cyclists. Are computers better drivers than humans? Self-driving cars could eliminate or drastically accidents caused by driver error. Computers have greater awareness and faster reaction times than duce the risks of Adaptive cruise control... • will automatically slow down, speed up and stop the car during traffic based on the speed of the vehicle ahead. humans, while not being subject to distractions, fatigue or alcohol consumption. Drinking and driving is the leading cause of car crashes. Emergency Brake Assist Pedestrian Protection... More than 90% of crashes are caused • uses radar and cameras to assist the car in reacting and making evasive maneuvers (i.e. changing lanes to avoid pedestrians or other vehicles). by human error. 81% can be avoided by efficient use of vehicular communications systems. Stereo cameras... In 2013, car accidents caused... • are specialized cameras. will outline and identify pedestrians and cyclists. • 35,000 deaths • 3.8 million injuries Self-driving cars would reduce car accidents by 90%... • preventing 30,000 deaths • 2 million less injuries • $400 billion in savings by 2020 Continental calls its self-driving car... “the car you can't crash." Google has experimented with a fleet of driverless cars since 2009, driving... more than 700,000 miles without a crash. But what are the challenges? While they may reduce crashes, saving money and lives, introducing self-driving cars will likely present its own set of challenges. Create new safety risks such as... system or technological failures, poor safety when vehicles encounter Greater connectivity can cause privacy concerns such as... vulnerability to information abuse, unwanted GPS tracking and data sharing. The convenience of driverless cars could lead to more travel... which could cause situations that aren't increased pollution and raise the costs included in their program, and/or encourage users to engage in risky behaviors. of parking. Credit: Michelle Lee for Tech Page One, 2014 Consumer Reports. "The road to self-driving cars." http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2014/04/the-road-to-self-driving-cars/index.htm. February, 2014. Cooper, Sean. "What you need to know about self-driving cars." Engadget. http://www.engadget.com/2014/06 /06/explainer- self-driving-cars/. ND. Deaton, Jamie Page and Geisler-Hall, Kristen. "How Driverless Cars Will Work." HowStuffWorks. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the-hood/trends-innovations/driverless-car3.htm. ND. Lassa, Todd. "The Beginning of the End of Driving." Motor Trend. http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/2012/1301_the_beginning_of_the_end_of_driving/. January, 2013. Litman, Todd. "Autonomous Vehicle Implementation Predictions." Victoria Tran sport Policy Institute. http://www.vtpi.org/avip.pdf. June 4, 2014. Maps of the World. "Info on Self driving car, Google driverless car and car accident statistic s." http://www.map sofworld.com/poll/are-self-driving-cars-sa fe- in fographic-text.html. Read, Richard. "Dallas, Minneapolis, San Francisco Become Part of DOT's 'Talking Car' Project. Motor Authority. http://www.mo to rauthority.com/news/1059936_dallas-minneapolis-san-franc isco- become-part-of-dots-talking-car-project. May 13, 2011.