Fully autonomous cars can sense their surroundings and operate without the need for human intervention. At no point is a human passenger necessary to assume control of the car, nor is a human passenger required to be present in the vehicle at all. A self-driving automobile can travel wherever a regular car can go and accomplish everything a skilled human driver can do.

What is the basis for the operation of self-driving vehicles

Sensors, actuators, elaborate algorithms, machine learning systems, and powerful processors are used to run software in autonomous vehicles.

Based on a number of sensors located throughout the vehicle, autonomous automobiles develop and maintain a map of their surroundings. Radar sensors keep an eye on the movement of adjacent cars. Traffic signals are detected by video cameras, which also read road signs, monitor other cars, and watch for pedestrians.

Lidar, or light detection and ranging sensors estimate distances, detect road boundaries and recognize lane markers by bouncing light pulses off the car’s surroundings. When parking, ultrasonic sensors in the wheels detect obstacles and other cars.

After processing all of this sensory data, sophisticated software maps a course and delivers commands to the car’s actuators, which control acceleration, braking, and steering. The program follows traffic regulations and navigates obstacles thanks to hard-coded rules, obstacle avoidance algorithms, predictive modeling, and object identification.

The SAE International automation levels

As mentioned above, self-driving cars or transportation systems that move without the involvement of a human driver are often referred to as autonomous driving. The J3016 standard was issued by SAE International (Society of Automotive Engineers) in 2014 to specify the different development phases up to fully autonomous cars.

Level 0 (no automation) through Level 5 (complete automation) are the different stages of autonomous driving, as per the SAE chart.

Source: SAE International

Differences between autonomous, automated and self-driving

A synopsys.com article explains that instead of autonomous, the SAE uses the word automated. One reason is that the term “autonomy” has a broader meaning than only electromechanical. A completely autonomous vehicle would be self-aware and able to make decisions on its own.

If you say “drive me to work,” for example, the automobile may opt to transport you to the beach instead. A completely autonomous automobile, on the other hand, would take commands and then drive itself.

The terms self-driving and autonomous are often used interchangeably. It is, however, a little different situation. In some, if not all, scenarios, a self-driving automobile can drive itself, but a human passenger must always be there and ready to take charge.

Self-driving automobiles would be classified as either Level 3 (conditional driving automation) or Level 4 (full autonomy) (high driving automation). Unlike a fully autonomous Level 5 automobile, which can travel anywhere it wants, they are restricted by geofencing.

Implementation challenges of autonomous cars

Fully autonomous (Level 5) vehicles are now being tested in a number of locations throughout the globe, although none are presently accessible to the general public. That’s still a few years away. The difficulties vary from technical to legal to environmental and philosophical in nature. The following are only a few of the unknowns.

Lidar and Radar. Lidar is costly, and it is still attempting to find the optimal mix of range and resolution. Will numerous autonomous vehicles’ lidar signals interfere with one another if they travel on the same road? Will the frequency range be sufficient to facilitate mass manufacturing of driverless automobiles if many radio frequencies are available?

LiDAR Map: Cadillac Super Cruise

Climate Conditions. What happens if an autonomous vehicle is driving in heavy rain? Lane dividers vanish when there is a coating of snow on the road. When lane markers are hidden by water, oil, ice, or debris, how will the cameras and sensors track them?

Laws and Traffic Conditions. Will self-driving vehicles have problems passing through tunnels or across bridges? How will they fare in rush-hour traffic? Will self-driving vehicles be restricted to a single lane? Will they be allowed to use the carpool lane? What about the fleet of legacy vehicles that will continue to share the roads for the next 20 or 30 years?

Regulations in the State vs. Regulations in the Federal Government. In the United States, the regulatory procedure for autonomous vehicles has recently changed from federal advice to state-by-state regulations. To avoid the emergence of “zombie cars” cruising about without occupants, several jurisdictions have suggested a per-mile charge on autonomous vehicles.

Lawmakers have also introduced legislation mandating that all self-driving cars be zero-emission vehicles with a panic button. But, will the laws vary from one state to the next? Will self-driving cars be able to traverse state lines?

Liability in Case of an Accident. Who is responsible for accidents caused by self-driving cars? What about the manufacturer? What about the human passenger? According to the most recent plans, a completely autonomous Level 5 automobile would not have a dashboard or a steering wheel, meaning that a human passenger will not be able to take control of the vehicle in an emergency.

Emotional Intelligence vs. Artificial Intelligence. To make split-second judgment calls and forecast actions, human drivers depend on subtle indicators and nonverbal communication, such as establishing eye contact with pedestrians or interpreting the facial expressions and body language of other drivers.

Will self-driving vehicles be able to reproduce this link? Will they be able to save lives in the same way that human drivers do?

Even autonomous cars need to go to traffic school

According to a material published by automotive systems manufacturer ZF, the United States has a total of 12 testing grounds for this purpose. For several years, the University of Michigan has had its own simulated city in operation. The 130,000 square meters of “M City” will be used to test how self-driving cars interact with other vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles on the road.

The site has five miles (eight kilometers) of roads with curves, junctions, traffic signals, traffic signs, walkways, false building fronts, street lamps, and construction site barriers, among other features. This test site, which includes a roundabout, a tunnel, and a bridge, as well as 40 building façades and highways with a range of pavement materials, cost $6.5 million dollars – around €5.6 million.

CERMcity (Center for European Research on Mobility/Urban Validation Environment) at RWTH Aachen University is using a similar strategy. CERMcity has been developing a successful test site built on a disused mine between 2009 and 2013 since October 2018. It will contain a roadway with electronics, sensors, and infrastructural aspects when completed.

In addition, a number of US states have allowed portions of their highway networks for the testing of autonomous vehicles. Simple approval processes, aided by the fact that there is little traffic on limitless stretches of roadway in Arizona and Nevada, allow for test fleets of several hundred cars.

As a result, many of the existing or proposed experiments are being conducted in the United States.

Potential benefits of autonomous cars

The possibilities for improving ease and quality of life are endless. The aged and physically handicapped would be able to live independently. If your children were at summer camp and forgot their swimming suits or toothbrushes, the automobile might deliver them. You may even take your dog to the veterinarian.

However, the true promise of self-driving automobiles is their ability to drastically reduce CO2 emissions. Experts highlighted three trends in a research that, if implemented simultaneously, would fully realize the promise of autonomous vehicles: vehicle automation, vehicle electrification, and ridesharing. By 2050, these “three urban transportation revolutions” could mean:

• Congestion should be reduced (30 percent fewer vehicles on the road);
• Costs of transportation can be reduced by 40%;
• Improve the walkability and livability;
• Allow parking lots to be used for other purposes;
• Reduce CO2 emissions in cities by 80% globally.