How the Self-Driving Car Works

I am writing this to provide a clear understanding to the general public before this technology becomes the main mode of transport. I saw that my teacher and some of my friends were not confident about riding in self-driving cars, and I realized that this was because of a lack of understanding of how self-driving cars work. This is a basic high-level overview of how most self-driving cars work for normal people.

Step 1: Data Capture (Seeing)

Sensors like radar, LiDAR, and cameras capture data from the surroundings. This step is about gathering information around the car so the computer can understand its environment.

Step 2: Perception and Sensor Fusion (Understanding)

In this stage, the computer processes the data from the sensors to understand the car's surroundings. The perceived information is then combined to form a comprehensive understanding of the environment.

Step 3: Decision Making (Deciding)

Machine learning algorithms are used to make real-time decisions based on the understanding of the environment. These decisions are then sent to the control system.

Step 4: Control System (Action)
The control system receives the decisions made by the machine learning algorithms, converts these decisions into electronic signals, and sends them to the car's actuators.

Actuators are motors in the car that receive electrical signals and transform them into physical motion.

So, there you go: a self-driving car sees, understands, decides, and then makes moves. Obviously, there are hundreds of different steps involved, but this is a basic overview of how most autonomous vehicles work.