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Friday, March 29, 2024

Autonomous Cars | Explained

tThe future’s earlier than anticipated. It is no longer a science fiction fantasy. Self Driving Cars are already here. Also known as Autonomous or Driverless cars, Self Driving cars are – as the name suggests – vehicles which require zero human input for mobility. Thanks to innovative technologies like RADAR, LiDAR, Sonar, and a host of other electronic aids, self-driving vehicles can operate without any human interaction.

Self Driving Cars | The Technology

Various tech giants have taken the leap with self-driving cars ranging from Google’s self-driving project Waymo to electric car pioneer Tesla (Auto Pilot). Even mainstream car companies like General Motors, Nissan, Renault, Mercedes-Benz, Audi all have gotten their feet wet with autonomous driving.

Tesla Features
Tesla Autopilot navigation

But, all of this is impossible without technology. Self-driving cars use cutting-edge technology in mobility and navigation. Google’s self-driving cars, for example, use LiDAR, a system of lasers that creates a 3D visualisation of the surroundings.

Self Driving
Self Driving
  • Besides LiDARS and RADARS, self-driving cars also use Sonars which emit a high-frequency sound to map the road ahead.
  • Then there are Ultrasonic sensors, which allows vehicles to sense their surroundings 360 degrees around them.
  • These car also use GPS to geo-locate and assist the vehicle in navigation
  • Furthermore, there is the brain of the autonomous operations, namely the artificial intelligence. This observes, learns and monitors the behaviour of the vehicle in sync with the road and traffic.

SAE Levels of Autonomy

Did you know? There are 6 levels of autonomy when it comes to self-driving vehicles!

  1. Level 0

    This is a baby step towards autonomy. Driving is done by a human with the assistance of features like Emergency Braking. But here the driving is fully manual. This is essentially what a regular car does for you. 

  2. Level 1

    In cars with Level 1 autonomy, there is a little robotization. Driving is automated to the degree of Adaptive Cruise Control, Self-Parking, Automatic Braking and Lane Assist. However, the human behind the wheel is in charge of the key activities like steering. Most of the cars today have Level 1 autonomy.

  3. Level 2

    Now we are getting somewhere. Level 2 provides partial automation with the car having steering and acceleration capabilities. Human intervention is still required. Cars that have Level 2 autonomy comes with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Along with lane departure prevention, features like traffic sign recognition and pedestrian detection can be found in these cars.

  4. Level 3

    Here there is up to 80% automation. Although the vehicle can completely take over on its own and can do everything from steering, braking and manoeuvring. Vehicles with Level 3 or conditional automation often have environmental sensors, traffic jam assist and other advanced features. But, these cars do require human corrections from time to time. Sadly, Level 3 is not a very popular level for self-driving cars.

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  5. Level 4

    The car is now highly autonomous with a steering wheel and offers a self-driving mode. Although not necessary, a human can still take over if they want. The vehicle can safely come to a halt even if all systems fail.

  6. Level 5

    This is the Super Saiyan level of autonomy. The Level 5 vehicle has taken the true autonomous form. No steering wheels, accelerator, clutch and brakes. Just sit back, have a tea and relax!

    Self-Driving Cars | Explained
    Sit back y’all! | Level 5 Autonomy

Self Driving Cars | Yay or Nay?

Self-driving cars have sparked radical technological innovations in the mobility industry. Some of these technologies have already seen the light of day.

Self Driving Cars in India | All is not lost
Self Driving Cars

There are demerits with this technology though. The autonomous vehicles will negatively affect the jobs in the taxi and transportation industry. This is because AI can easily replace human labour. Besides, the technology of today is not though of as refined enough to ensure pedestrian and motorist safety. There are also legal and ethical concerns over self-driving cars plying on public roads.

But we can’t ignore the fact that the benefits far outweigh the negatives. As AI is totally immune to human tendencies like fatigue and illnesses, self-driving cars will undoubtedly make our commutes safer. One can also not ignore the fact that self-driving vehicles will reduce the traffic burden on our roads. Additionally, Self-driving Electric cars can make our travel on wheels both easy as well as green.

The autonomous vehicle will also empower the infirm, the differently-abled and the seniors, who might not be able to drive a traditional car on their own.

research by NHTSA reveals that over 90% of road accidents are caused by human error or human lapse in judgement.

Self Driving Cars in India?

Bad news! India won’t be getting self-driving cars anytime soon. Besides the technology being terribly expensive, self-driving cars have seen a cold response from the government. In a statement by the Union Minister for Road Transportation and Highways, Nitin Gadkari said: “there are 22 lakh drivers waiting to get jobs and driverless cars will hamper their prospects of getting a job”.

So, for the time being, let us help you with the servicing needs of your Level 2 automated cars! Install the GoMechanic App Now!

GoMechanic Blog on Google News

Also Read: Self Driving Cars (Autonomous Cars) Explained Briefly

 

Akshat Ajeya
Akshat Ajeya
Lead, Content & Creatives at GoMechanic | Automobile Scale Model Collector | DIY guy | Consumer of many foods | CVT is not that bad

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