An overview of the current activity, setbacks, and potential solutions related to the adoption of autonomous cars. At present, there are cars on the road offering up to Level 2 driving automation, and both Tesla and Audi have cars on the brink of Level 3 autonomy. However, a few accidents using autonomous vehicles have caused some negative media attention and public nervousness. This has led to automobile manufacturers rethinking their timetables. The author suggests that 5G networks and the development of a “smart road” infrastructure may have the potential to solve many of the safety issues associated with autonomous carsCould connect to source about gps and localization. In the short term, autonomous cars will be limited to niche applications such as shuttle service type tasks as taxi pods in constrained urban environments. In the medium term, machines will have to share roads with human drivers, which will present its own set of difficulties. Finally, in the longer term, autonomous cars are likely to become fleet-owned, leading to a reduction in the number of cars in use and the reclaiming of land currently used for car parking.
Key Points
Autonomous cars will have a momentous impact on our lives and society in the coming decades, but there has been a setback due to some accidents in recent years.
There are six levels of autonomy, with Level 0 being complete driver control and Level 5 being completely autonomous in any environment.
Autonomous cars will reduce the number of road fatalities and offer many other benefits, but they will still encounter conditions they cannot cope with due to unlearned experiences.
5G cellular networks are needed to provide the connection of roadside sensors to the Internet, reducing the computing load on car-mounted systems.
In the short term, autonomous cars will be used in niche applications and shuttle services, while in the medium term they will have to share roads with human drivers.
In the longer term, as the 5G infrastructure comes to life, roads will become more amenable to machines and fully autonomous cars will likely be fleet owned by car manufacturers.
Title
Fully Autonomous Cars. How and When Will They Become a Reality?
URL
https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/technology/innovation/fully-autonomous-cars-how-and-when-will-become-reality/
Summary
An overview of the current activity, setbacks, and potential solutions related to the adoption of autonomous cars. At present, there are cars on the road offering up to Level 2 driving automation, and both Tesla and Audi have cars on the brink of Level 3 autonomy. However, a few accidents using autonomous vehicles have caused some negative media attention and public nervousness. This has led to automobile manufacturers rethinking their timetables. The author suggests that 5G networks and the development of a “smart road” infrastructure may have the potential to solve many of the safety issues associated with autonomous carsCould connect to source about gps and localization. In the short term, autonomous cars will be limited to niche applications such as shuttle service type tasks as taxi pods in constrained urban environments. In the medium term, machines will have to share roads with human drivers, which will present its own set of difficulties. Finally, in the longer term, autonomous cars are likely to become fleet-owned, leading to a reduction in the number of cars in use and the reclaiming of land currently used for car parking.
Key Points
Citation
K. Darlington, “Fully Autonomous Cars. Will They Become a Reality?,” OpenMind, Nov. 30, 2020. https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/technology/innovation/fully-autonomous-cars-how-and-when-will-become-reality/
Repo link