Car technology has advanced so much within the last decade most people probably do not recognize automobiles are edging close to autonomous. Cars have subtly took over more driving tasks starting with simple cruise control to automatic parallel parking and braking systems that can detect objects that the driver may not see. It is only a matter of time before cars that are fully capable of driving themselves are commonplace.
A perfect example of these new cars is Google's self-driving fleet. The cars use an array of sensors and complex algorithms to navigate the road safely. The heart of the system is Velodyne's HDL-64 LiDAR sensor. The sensor currently sits on top of the hood and spins at 10 revolutions per second constantly collecting data from the environment. It generates 1.3 million data points (750 Mbytes per second through an ethernet interface) that allows software to analyze and map obstacles and potential hazards. The laser sensors can create a 3D view of the environment up to 40 meters, and it collects centimeter resolution data from 80 to 100 meters away.
The biggest obstacle facing the robot-car is liability. There can be major discrepancies over who is at fault when an accident occurs, or if a user is to be ticketed for some reason. However, the cars promise improved safety and fuel-efficiency and many politicians are working to help legalize the cars. For example, Nevada allows driverless cars. However, the owners must pay a $1-$3 million insurance bond per vehicle. If you are ever out in the desert state, look for cars with a red license plate... those are autonomous.
Currently, many states and other countries are working on systems that will allow these cars to freely roam the roads. Many people may fear leaving total control of their cars up to computers; what if the computer makes a mistake? For the record, it was when a human took the wheel. (Most people have had more accidents in less miles, also for the record.)
Steve Mahan is legally blind (95%), but thanks to Google's autonomous cars he was able to take a trip to a local fast food restaurant. Mahan explained, "There are some places you cannot go, some things that you really cannot do... Where this would change my life, is to give me the independence and the flexibility to go to the places I both want to go and need to go when I need to do those things." Google has labeled Mahan the first user of the technology; "Self-Driving Car User #0000000001."
Although there is more testing a work to be done on the autonomous car before wide-spread adoption, they are on the road now. Who doesn't want smooth moving computer-controlled traffic?
Eavesdropper
