A Quick Guide on Self Driven Cars
The future of personal transportation
is quite exciting. You know why? Because soon you’ll likely be spending a lot
lesser time behind the wheel. How? With the rise in the development of smart
cities in India, self driving cars too will soon be seen here. The concept of
self-driving cars seems right out of science-fiction flick right? Here is what self
driven cars are
A self-driving car often times called
a driverless car or an autonomous car. It is a vehicle that uses a combination
of sensors, radar, cameras and artificial intelligence to move between destinations
without any human intervention. In order for a vehicle to qualify as fully
autonomous, it must be efficient enough to navigate itself without human operator
to a predetermined destination.
Today many car manufacturers have
introduced various semi-autonomous features, viz. assisted parking &self-braking
systems in cars. However, completely autonomous vehicles like self driven cars will still take some time
to be seen on the Indian roads.
Talking of the pros of self driven
cars-They have sensors that are always observing and can scan in multiple
directions simultaneously.
As per a research conducted by NHTSA,
approximately 94 percent of accidents are generally caused by human error.
However, with the introduction of self driven cars the numbers of mishaps on
roads are expected to reduce to a large extent. The impact of this innovation in
the mobility sector can be far-reaching.
So, what exactly is the technology behind
self driven cars? The collective use
of sensors, connectivity and software or control algorithms. The sensors
required are available today and are used in advanced safety features such as
blind-spot monitoring, forward collision warning etc. To navigate the car
safely, the necessary input is derived from sensors used for features such as
radar, ultrasonic’s and cameras.
Connectivity refers to the fact that the cars have access to the real-time information about traffic, weather, adjacent cars, surface conditions, maps and road infrastructure. This data is then utilized to monitor a car’s surrounding in order to anticipate braking and therefore avoid hazardous conditions.
The software or control algorithms
are required to capture the reliable data from sensors and connectivity in
order to make decisions like steering, speeding, and braking and route
navigation. Understanding the complex algorithms and then making decisions
based on it flawlessly and simply is by far the most complex part of self driven cars. Therefore, the
software needed to implement these algorithms got to be robust & fault-tolerant.
Self driven cars will have added
benefits to our society, like providing simple mobility solutions to people who
are otherwise not able to drive because of age or physical impairment.
Right now in India, the car rental
companies are calling regular cars which they offer without drivers as self
driven cars, which actually mean cars for self drive.
So don’t confuse the two concepts and
maintain clarity now that you know what are self driven cars and cars for self
drive.
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