Autonomous Vehicles
Something which will have been hard to miss at the moment in the world of tech and auto is the autonomous vehicle. Autonomous vehicles have come in various shapes and forms over the years, these include tractors, sailboats, Mars rovers and even a range of military drones. Even dating back to the 1800’s there was the invention of the self-propelled torpedo by Robert Whitehead and an autopilot system came not long after the invention of the plane. But for all the success that these vehicles have had in their specific fields, there is one type of vehicle which is proving to be a bit more challenging.
Driverless or autonomous cars are the best examples of a technology we have always been on the cusp of having, but never quite reached to its grand envisioned potential. Autonomous cars have a great deal more challenges than your typical autonomous system, including dealing with pedestrians, other man controlled vehicles, old and questionable infrastructure, as well issues of randomness we can barely account for ourselves as human drivers.
There are 5 levels of autonomy listed (not including level 0, which includes no autonomy). Driverless cars have to be able to sense the environment and navigate it completely from point A to point B, with no human input in order to achieve level 5 autonomy. This should include in a range of environments, including snow and off road dirt tracks.
In order to achieve autonomy the driverless vehicles use a range of different technologies, these include radar, GPS, laser light, odometry and computer vision. The onboard control system takes all of this information and identifies the correct path as well as taking into account relevant obstacles and signs.
Currently, there are no models of vehicles being mass manufactured which have reached the fullest level of autonomy, where they can achieve randomly generated trips and need no source of human intervention.
There are a number of benefits which accompany the driverless vehicle;
Safety is the most prominent reason why the industry is advocating for the autonomous vehicle. It is reported according to consultancy McKinsey & Company that up to 90% of road accidents could be eliminated, meaning a total of 300,000 lives in the US alone could be saved. This too would lead to savings of $190 billion each year on the health care associated with these accidents.
Car Sharing is another major advantage of the driverless vehicle. With vehicles able to better utilise themselves between owners journeys, we may see more and more people opt for car sharing services. Tesla has already hinted that you may be able to hire out your car between journeys and earn revenue from the trips. This would mean fewer cars on the road and more effective use of vehicles which usually spend most of their time dormant.
Environmentally the benefits are huge, not only will these vehicles more likely be electric or even hydrogen powered. But also they will be driven more effectively than any traditional driver ever could, all of this will mean that our planet should become a greener one.
More leisure time is a perfect example of how our day to day lives will improve, no longer will the morning commute be the horrendous experience that it is today. We will have more time to read, play video games, socialise or even sleep! The morning commute also contributes to high levels of stress in our lives, needless to say, I will be happy that this part of my day will be gone.
Better travel times are on the cards for road users too. As a result of having a robot at the wheels, we could increase the speed limit, meaning that we can more effectively travel between locations. Less time on the road and more time at your destination sound wonderful, all with the benefit of increased safety. Robots are able to make much quicker decisions and as a result, there is no real limit as to where we cap the speed of the vehicles travelling autonomously.
I think the most exciting of all is more accessibility for the impaired, needless to say, that those with disabilities such as blindness or physical impairments have been restricted
There are still a number of issues which stand in the way of autonomous vehicles being adopted by the mass market. This includes problems with government regulation, although it is rapidly improving. Issues with liability and insurance, consumer perception relating to the safety of autonomous vehicles and their willingness to giving up control to an autonomous system. Also security risks such as the perceived increased risk from hackers and less privacy of the driver.
One of the main problems that we will likely encounter due to the autonomous vehicle is the major job losses that will occur. There are millions of drivers in the US alone that rely on their role as a driver of some kind to support their livelihood, the likelihood is that organisations will replace their fleets of vehicles for the more cost effective solution for driverless cars, trucks and lorries. Until there is a solution to this problem then unions and citizens are probably going to push hard to resist this inevitable change.
There are a number of driverless vehicles in use today. The most impressive of these probably belongs to Waymo, the project initially kickstarted by Google and later spun out by Alphabet, Google’s parent company. Waymo is currently operating public trials across the US including Phoenix Arizona, these trials are helping the organisation to further develop the technology and prime is for mass market aiming for 2020. The organisation hit one million miles as of June 2015 with early feedback being incredibly positive.
There are also a number of European startups working on different vehicles for public transport. Some of these include the UK’s RDM who are developing another driverless pod, there have been trials taking place in Milton Keynes ferrying passengers back and forth from the airport to the city centre. Larger more bus-like vehicles include the pod from Oxbotica, under the GATEway project. This pod operated a public trial between June until August 2016, with a fairly positive public reaction. They continue to develop the technology and aim to run more trials moving forward.
Autonomous vehicles will be a divisive technology which is sure to bring as much joy as it will woes for the general public. But needless to say, it will reduce the number of deaths on the road dramatically and this is a future which I am excited for. Hopefully, there is an uptake from the general public sooner rather than later, but with as much cooperation from organisations and government to help ease those job losses that will be inevitable with proper policy and compensation.
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