Let the Computer take the Wheel:
Introduction: Driving in rush hours can be very stressful. Wouldn't it be great if you could just sit back and watch a movie, take a nap or just look out of the window while someone else drives your car? Right now, a computer located within the vehicle already governs many of your car's functions/ That computer is responsible for various safety and diagnostic features. Many of today's automobile provide Internet access for driving directions, streaming audio and cell phone connectivity. In the very near future, cars will likely drive themselves and seamlessly integrate into our digital lives.
Apple and Google have created partnership with automobile manufacture to place iPad or Android devices at the centre of vehicle's main console. Cars can connected to Wi-Fi access points or cellular network to reach the Internet as the modern smartphone does. These developments allow your vehicle to provide many services that normally require a smartphone, but in a safer and more integrated manner.
However, concerns about making it safer to use these services while driving may soon be unfounded, as technologies developments will take over.
Although these types of cars are yet to arrive in India but in countries like USA The National Highway traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Society Automotive (SAE) have developed different levels of driving ability for self-driving cars. These levels go from level 0, with no automated control, to level 5, a fully autonomous vehicle. Right now, you can buy a car at level 2, where automated systems can maintain speed (cruise control), parallel park (with parking assistance) and drive with limited human interaction, For example, Tesla's autopilot system automatically speeds up or slows down to avoid other cars and make starring changes to stay in its lane. Test vehicles from Uber and Google are currently on the road with level 3 autonomy, only requiring human drivers to supervise the self driving cars.
Vehicle manufactures are confident that fully autonomous vehicles are the future reality. Mercedes plans to sell self-driving cars by 2020. BMW has announced they will sell a level 3 autonomous vehicle in 2021. Ford has targeted 2021 for putting a level 4 self-driving car on the road, a level 4 self-driving car would take over driving when on the freeway and require no supervision.
The self-driving car would represent a huge shift in the way we drive, but it could also represent a change in the way we own cars. Ride-sharing companies. Lyft and Uber are both heavily invested in developing autonomous vehicle technologies. These companies envision a future where car ownership is a thing of the past and people subscribe to driverless car services, much like Netflix offers a service that replaces DVD ownership. Car manufacture Tesla has a slightly different future in mind, one where you own your self-driving car, but when you aren't using it, it could go on the road by itself as part of a larger ride-sharing fleet of vehicles. As you work or sleep, your car can be working to make you money.
Do you think you could hand over control to an autonomous car?
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