The Future of Autonomous Vehicles: Andrew Lin
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| Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid undergoing testing in San Francisco Bay Area |
There are a few different types of technologies that are used in autonomous driving systems. For example, AVs use what's called lidar units. Those are the round things on the top of the vehicle that is constantly spinning to generate a 360 degree image of the car's surroundings. It can detect light and everything around it. Under the lidar sensors are cameras that are used to detect traffic lights and signs. It also helps recognize moving objects like pedestrians. Furthermore, the main computer, located in the trunk, analyzes data from the sensors and compares its stored maps to assess current conditions. Lastly, radar sensors are used to gather data on nearby objects. It categorizes the objects as bicyclists, pedestrians, or other cars based on how they behave.
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| Example of radar sensors categorizing objects |
Currently, there are no legally operating autonomous vehicles in the United States. Although it's still in its beginning stages, self-driving technology is becoming increasingly common and could soon transform our transportation system. Based on technology company estimates, fully-autonomous cars could be for sale in the next several years. The difference between fully- and partially-autonomous is that partially autonomous vehicles may require a human driver to intervene if the system encounters a problem and fully-autonomous vehicles may not even offer a steering wheel. Environmental impacts are an overarching concern. Accessible, affordable, and convenient self-driving cars could increase the total number of miles driven each year. If those vehicles are powered by gasoline, then emission could skyrocket. On the other hand, if AVs are electric powered, emissions could drop, perhaps significantly. Assuming that electric self-driving cars are used for carrying public transportation, emissions could drop even further.
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| Early stages of Google's fully-autonomous vehicle without a steering wheel |
Everyone can agree that the idea of a self driving vehicle sounds cool and futuristic, but like anything else, it also has some down sides. In one fatal accident in 2018, a woman was ran over by an AV operated by Uber in Tempe, AZ. It was known to be the first pedestrian death associated with self-driving technology. With a human safety driver at the wheel, the Volvo XC90 SUV was in autonomous mode. It was going 40mph on a 45mph speed limit when it struck the woman who was walking her bicycle across the street. Police officials claimed that the vehicle's failed sensors where at fault. The accident shows that self-driving technology is still in its experimental stages and that it still has a long ways to go before they go for sale.
Questions:
1) Do you see a future in autonomous vehicles? If so, how long will it take for them to be legal?
2) Do you think autonomous vehicles will ever be 100% safe?
3) Will you ever use autonomous vehicles for public transportation, if available?
Sources:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90459114/how-the-race-to-autonomous-cars-got-sidetracked-by-words
https://spectrum.ieee.org/cars-that-think/transportation/self-driving/new-rules-of-the-road-allow-steeringwheelfree-cars
https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/ubers-self-driving-cars-cant-detect-pedestrians-who-walk-outside-of-crosswalks-says-report/Content?oid=16160888
27 comments:
I do see a future in autonomous vehicles, but I feel like it will be a while before they are legal. Although the amount of autonomous vehicles is increasing, it is still rare to see them out in public and it will be a long time before they are the norm. I do not think that autonomous vehicles will be 100% safe because there are ways for hackers to get into the vehicles, even when it seems impossible people find a way to go around security and can hack your vehicle. Also, just like how regular vehicles can have random problems that pop up, autonomous vehicles can have that too. It will take years of research and security and technological innovations before autonomous vehicles will be even remotely safe. I feel that if I used autonomous vehicles for public transportation, I would do a lot of research into making sure it is very safe and reliable. If I were to use autonomous public transportation, it would be a while from now in the future after they have successfully developed this field of technology.
I think that autonomous vehicles may become far safer in the future. However, I do not believe that they should be used for public transportation vehicles (unless the vehicle is traveling on rails) like buses. This is because the driver may have to make very human decisions that automated machines may not be able to make, such as deciding to wait for a late passenger to board the vehicle. Making public transportation electric powered, however, could be a very positive step towards preventing global warming and air pollution.
I think that in no more than ten years, maybe fifteen, there will be mostly autonomous vehicles driving the streets of the world. I think that it is a rising idea, one that is gaining a lot of popularity. With big companies like Tesla, who haven’t even developed a fully functioning self driving car ready for customer use, as the face of the entire idea of self driving automobiles, Elon and his company have created a lot of publicity that is extremely beneficial for an up and coming technology. Also with the stigma that they have created of self driving being luxurious, it has been gaining a lot of attention from the right people. I do not think that self driving cars are, or will ever be a hundred percent safe because while it is taking away human error, it does not have human instinct. Although it may be safer to go left, away from a speeding car, a human might do the unlikely and go right so the car just passes straight by. These cars are safe, but I think that I rather just trust myself when it comes to who’s brain is on the wheel.
I do see a future in autonomous vehicles. I think that they will be legal in about 10 years. Although I think they will be close to perfect when released to the public, I doubt that they will be 100 % safe. Even human driving isn't 100% safe and it is impossible to predict every situation on the road. I would like to use autonomous vehicles to the public. When tested and certified to be safe I would like to try them out for public transportation
Personally, I do see autonomous vehicles becoming the norm in the near future. I’m not talking a few years but closer to a few decades. With cars like Tesla’s already having an autopilot feature, where the driver has to simply keep their hands on the wheel, we are improving and coming closer and closer to a completely autonomous vehicle. However, no matter the level of coding and programs written, I feel as though they will never be completely safe, just like a human driver. If anything, I feel that one day the level of safety in these autonomous vehicles may be higher than those of human drivers, accounting for human error. I feel that I may wait, even after a few years past initial release, to use these vehicles as although claimed to be safe, they may have major faults in them.
I do see a future in autonomous vehicles but I think it will be a while before they are legal. I also do not think they will be as common as we think they will be. Even though technology has come a long way and it is very advanced I do not think it will ever be 100% safe. It can never be perfect and mistakes are bound to happen. It will take lots of testing to be sure that they are safe on public roads. It will also be hard for people to switch from their normal cars to autonomous vehicles and I think only few people will be able to afford it especially if they are electric. I would love to try to use the vehicle for public transportation when they are certified to be safe.
I do see a future in autonomous vehicles; however, I think it will take quite a while for them to become fully legal. Personally, I do not think autonomous vehicles will be 100% safe just because nothing in this world in general is perfectly safe. Hence, the existence of margin of error. In the future, when the autonomous vehicles are proved through testing that it is safe for the public to use, then I will consider using the autonomous vehicles. However, vehicle crashes is a huge cause of human death, and I believe many precautions should be taken before establishing legality over the autonomous vehicles.
I definitely see autonomous vehicles in the future. There are many horrible accidents that it makes sense humans switching to rely on technology. Recently, I learned of this phenomenon technological advancements: the rate at which technological advancements occur is becoming faster and faster in recent times. For example, when the first affordable cars were introduced in the early 1900s and they started to pick up steam, within one year, almost all horse carriages on the road were switched with cars. Also, when smartphone were first introduced in 2007, almost all cellphones were replaced with smart phones. I believe that this might be the case with autonomous vehicles and electric vehicles. Because of this phenomenon, I think the government will probably behind in legalizing autonomous vehicles and therefore it might take longer than actually needed for autonomous vehicles to legalized. There is almost never a 100% safety guarantee with anything, but I do believe that autonomous vehicles will be much more safer than human drivers. I would love the chance to be driven in an autonomous vehicle just because the new technology fascinates me.
I definitely see a future in autonomous automobiles. Since most of the accidents that occur are due to human error, self driving can be a safer alternative. It will probably take a couple of years for this idea to become legal because manufacturers need to test it out thoroughly making sure it’s safe. I don’t think these vehicles will ever be 100% safe since it is impossible to make anything perfect and there is always room for error. I would definitely consider trying autonomous mobiles because it seems like a cool idea that would benefit a large amount of people. However, I will have some concerns with safety but I am persuaded by the endless benefits autonomous vehicles have.
There is definitely a huge future in autonomous vehicles, because they are already being tested for commercial use. Not only that, but we as a society are moving rapidly towards automation- just a few days ago I watched a news segment detailed new scanning technology in grocery stores that would eliminate the need for cashiers altogether. My prediction is that our generations children will be driving autonomous vehicles almost exclusively. As for the safety issue, I think that our cars today are not even 100% safe, and most accidents are human error, so if they can improve and perfect the technology as much as possible, I don't see why safety would be an issue. In fact, it may be improved. Additionally, I think it will be a much longer before autonomous vehicles are used for public transportation, I think they will have to be well integrated into consumer use before the move into public transport.
I most definitely see a future for autonomous vehicles. There are many companies that are already trying to perfect the autonomous vehicle, and they are extremely close. Companies like Tesla have an "auto pilot" feature, which shows that the possibilities of fully autonomous vehicles are in the near future. I think it will take a few more decades for them to become legal. Perhaps when I have to drive my kids to school the car will be autonomous. It will take a little while because they must make sure they are completely safe. Because of the recent deaths due to malfunctioning autonomous vehicles, it is important to make sure that the vehicle's technology is completely perfect. However, no technology is 100% reliable or safe. There is always going to be an off chance that a system could malfunction or a certain button could not work. But, the technology we have today is almost perfect, so it will be rare that one of these instanes happens (but not impossible). I would not use the autonomous vehicles right away for transportation because I would like see how other people enjoy it. If it is complete safe and no one gets hurt, I will use it. However, in the future I plan to settle down in the suburbs, so public transportation will not be very necessary. The concept of autonomous vehicles, whether its cars or public transportation, is a phenomenon that is coming to life in the near future and I am very excited to witness it!
I do see a future for autonomous vehicles, and I think in about 10 years we will have full self driving cars. I feel like autonomous car will have their flaws in the beginning, but as time progresses they will be very safe. I myself own a Tesla that is capable in being fully autonomous, but do to laws they have to restrict how much the car can do, also they make sure the driver is attentive at the wheel. I believe that in the future fully autonomous transportation will be the norm. I would definitely use public transport that is fully autonomous.
With the rise of vehicle technologies such as Tesla’s auto park and other brands autonomous features, I believe the market for autonomous vechicles is ready to expand, it is just the matter of time for the public support of these vehicles. I believe these vehicles can drastically improve public transportation by making it more accessible and affordable. Without the need of a human driver, the costs of transportation can be driven down as it would negate the labor costs of the driver. Additionally, if these cars were powered entirely through electricity, gas costs can be zeroed, thus making the transportation costs even more affordable for consumers. However, what I see failing is the publicity of these automated cars as they are likely to not be 100% safe. Despite minimizing the chances of human error, the machine can face difficulties as well, in scenarios where the vehicle is not properly taken care of an the machinery malfunction there is a possibility of harm to the rider or bystander. If or when available, I would definitely use autonomous vehicles for public transportation because of the affordability and the fact that as a rider I wouldn’t need to operate anything.
I think that in the future, autonomous vehicles will be more common. It will take a while for the technology to be perfected, and until the cars can be guaranteed to be 100% safe, I think they should not be realeased to the public. Once they are safe and accessible, then I think there would be many advantages compared to cars now. I think that autonomous vehicles will be very beneficial for public transportation because it will reduce emissions and be affordable and accessible.
I definitely see a future in which autonomous vehicles will be used by a majority of the population. I think that completely autonomous vehicles will be legalized within the next ten years. I don't think that autonomous vehicles will ever be 100% safe, because I don't think that it is possible for anything to be 100% safe. If available, I definitely will use autonomous vehicles for public transportation because I think that it will be the most convenient for of transportation in the future.
I see a future in autonomous vehicles. I think that during the next few generations, all cars on the road will be fully autonomous. I think that autonomous vehicles will eventually be 100% safe as we discover newer technologies. We have made so much progress in autonomous vehicles in only a few years and the options for utilizing this technology is limitless. I like driving so I would prefer to drive a car, however i think that if there is a point where the majority of cars on the road are autonomous then I would consider switching to an autonomous car because it would be more safe on a street with other autonomous cars.
I do see a future in autonomous vehicles because we are improving technology to make tasks easier for us. I think that it may take 70-80 years for them to be legal. I don’t think autonomous vehicles will ever be 100% safe as any machine can have bugs or errors in its layout. I don’t think I would ever use autonomous vehicles for public transportation because I would not comfortable about my safety. Anything could happen, so better not take risks.
I see a future in autonomous vehicles, but I think that it will be some time before they are legalized. I would feel comfortable with being in a semi-autonomous vehicle. I'm not completely sold on the idea of giving up complete control. I think that the technology exists to make these car safe, but then again they are made by humans, and the fact that humans make mistakes is the whole reason that these cars are in development.
I definitely see a future in autonomous vehicles because as everyone knows Tesla has already been the start of it all. I personally don’t think autonomous vehicles are/will be 100% safe, since most of the accidents happen due to humans and cars, I think it’s best to just keep your hands on the wheels. It would actually want to try an autonomous car, but I don’t want to risk the change. Before using the auto cars I would probably do a lot of research
I mean I’m not sure whether or not I see a future in autonomous vehicles. I feel like it’s probably gonna happen eventually. Honestly I don’t think autonomous vehicles are ever going to be 100% safe. I don’t think normal cars will ever really be 100% safe either just because human error will always exist whether the person is driving the car or designing the programming that allows it to run itself. Also it really reminds me of the show black mirror so I don’t get the greatest vibes from autonomous vehicles. I don’t think I’ll ever use an autonomous vehicle but honestly I tend to conform to what others around me are doing a lot of the time so if everyone else switches I guess I probably will too.
Similarly as with any development, self-driving autos carry with them a great deal of specialized issues, however there are good ones also. To be specific, there are no unmistakable parameters for how safe is viewed as sufficiently protected to put a self-driving vehicle out and about. At the government level in the United States, rules set up are intentional, and across states, the laws change. In the event that and when parameters are characterized, there's no set standard for estimating whether they're met. I can never be 100% sure about my safety in an autonomous driving vehicle, but with time I am sure I can grow to trust the safety behind the vehicles.
I do see there being a further in autonomous vehicle. With its wild appeals of convenience and lowering carbon emissions these types of cars will no likely become extremely popular once all of its kinks are worked out. I believe that once the radar technology is improved that the autonomous vehicle will eventually become a near completely safe car, far safer than if a human was driving.Though technology does sometimes glitch it occurs far less than errors made by humans. Personally I would use a AV for public transportation once the technology and safety are improved on.
I do because there are automobiles that use sunlight for fuel, which is free with no emission whatsoever. However, it’s very expensive to make. I believe that every automobiles aren’t 100% safe because technologies can think or make decisions. However, I would like to use autonomous as long as it’s affordable because most drivers panic and make many mistakes, such as speeding, car accident, or driving in red light.
I could never trust an autonomous vehicle with my life. There are so many things that go wrong with cars and cause crashes as it is. I guess I could possible see them being used in the future but only by wealthy people with nothing better to spend money on. It seems really unnecessary and I doubt it would never result in an accident. It would also cause conflict because if an accident were to happen, people in the car would likely try to sue the car company.
I think that autonomous vehicles will be safe but not 100% safe. The reason why I say this is cause of malfunctions or failures in the system caused in the vehicle to crash. I do see autonomous vehicles in the future and being used by everyone to help prevent more collisions and dangerous crashes due to on hand driving. I might use autonomous vehicle for public transportation but I’m not too sure if I will.
I see a MASSIVE future in autonomous vehicles, specifically in car corporations like Tesla, Lexus, and BMW. To expand, I think it will take very little time for them to be made legal due to the minuscule levels of failure in computerized systems. Yes, problems happen but self-driven cars are proven to be more accident-prone and dangerous than autonomous vehicles. While nothing will ever be 100% safe due to mechanical or electrical failure, I believe autonomous cars will reach an unpreceded level of safety. I probably would use public transportation if it was electric since this would mean that the entire infrastructure would be replaced and be brand new. Who doesn't like new things?
I truly believe that autonomous vehicles will be the future. I understand the general trepidations in regards to these vehicles but I think this will pass with time. The idea of an autonomous vehicle is so alluring to us I think it will continually be innovated toward perfection. Hopefully, within the next decade, we will see the widespread use of autonomous vehicles. By making all cars be autonomous society could even work to remove all vehicular crashes.
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