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December 28, 2013

Cars Without Drivers – An Introduction

Google’s engineers are turning the transportation industry onits head, in a manner of speaking. Just like ox carts andhorse-drawn carriages are now obsolete, the days of human-driven cars may also be numbered. One Googlespokesperson said they would like to see cars without driversa reality by 2017. So it would appear that the whole ‘driverlesscar ’ concept is kind of driven by Google, so f ar.

In 2010, one of the engineers of Google, Sebastian Thrun,revealed that Google has been working on developingsof tware technology that will drive cars without drivers, or have drivers as only a backup. Although Google aimsto produce cars without drivers on a large scale within 5 years [by 2017], by 2020 there is a good possibilitythat this technology will be commonplace on US roads.

As Calif ornia approved testing of driverless cars (in 2012), it has opened up the path f or more technologicalinnovations in this direction. Even a f ew decades ago, it was unthinkable to have a car without a driver, but nowGoogle, with the help of Stanf ord University’s Artif icial Intelligence Laboratory’s Head, Sebastian Thrun, hascreated what had seemed impossible. With its many attendant potential benef its, Google has ‘created’ carswithout drivers. Or to be more accurate, these are cars that drive themselves.

How Does Driverless Car Technology Work?

The cars that Google has designed to be self -guided are equipped with many videocameras that will recognize if there is any obstacle or threat in f ront of , or indeed,anywhere around the vehicle. Not only video cameras, but also laser range detectorsand radar sensors will help the vehicle to ‘understand’ what is happening around it.Its AI sof tware will help it to navigate accordingly.

The onboard GPS system will allow the vehicle to determine its precise location andto navigate the appropriate path to its destination. Google will eventually ‘input’ mapsof all the roads, which will be recorded bef orehand by prof essional human drivers.This will allow the vehicle to understand where the actual roads are and also to ‘see’and f ollow the traf f ic signs.

Even where GPS systems are non-existent, the technology can still merge a car into traf f ic, obey traf f icsignals, and even navigate the car through tunnels. To date,prototype driverless cars have driven around 140,000 miles usingthis artif icial intelligence sof tware to guide the vehicles.

In some early tests, the self -driven car installed road maps ofSan Francisco and Calif ornia’s Pacif ic Coast Highway. Even thesteep and winding Lombard Street was included in the sof twaremap installed in the car.

What Will Be the Benef its of Using theDriverless Car?

Sebastian Thrun, the man behind the development of the driverless car, believes that the car that Google hasdesigned will reduce the incidence of accidents on the roads and thus reduce the number of lives that are lostin car accidents. Also, imagine a f uture in which your car will saf ely drive your kids to soccer practice onSaturday morning at 8:00 while you are still in bed, or saf ely return your teenager home af ter a night of a litt letoo much partying.

There will also be the benef it of increased productivity and reduced stress as many business people are ableto read, work or relax during their own, personal commute to work. There could also one day be driverlessbusses and taxis.

One concern is that since this will be a completely sof tware dependent system, there is the risk of it beinghacked. But cyber security is already very much an area of awareness, and will only continue to be more andmore highly developed and sophisticated.

No one knows all the ramif ications of a f uture with smart cars driving themselves around on smart roads andthrough smart intersections, but the possibilit ies f or good and f or enhanced quality of lif e seem to be great.