IMAGINE getting into your car in the morning and telling it to drive you to work; you could read the newspaper, have coffee and catch-up on emails while being chauffeured in comfort and safety. Planes have been flying themselves for decades and many trains can complete their journeys without human intervention. When will we see the first production car with self-drive capability? The idea may sound far-fetched, but contemporary safety systems as fitted to modern vehicles do take us ever closer to realising the dream. Let’s explore the viability of autonomous driving.
History
The idea of vehicles driving themselves is almost as old as the automobile itself. Records from 1939’s New York World Fair exhibit Futurama by Norman Bel Geddes (sponsored by General Motors) portrayed electric cars powered by circuits on the roads and controlled by radio. The entertainment industry has fictionalised auto-piloted cars in the form of a lovable Beetle in the Herbie movies and who could forget Kitt, the talking Trans Am from the Knight Rider ‘80s television series?
Current safety and technology systems
Modern vehicles, especially high-end models, come equipped with a vast array of safety systems that are products of years of development. We are so accustomed to some of these systems that we do not realise they are part of the incremental building blocks that will eventually lead to the first self-driven car. What follows is a summary of some of these systems.
Electronic control unit (ECU)
ECUs in modern vehicles are capable of controlling all the driving functions such as acceleration, braking and even steering. This is because “drive by wire” has replaced many mechanical systems and allowed digital and analogue signals to control the relevant systems. Add an automatic transmission and the basic hardware is complete.
Auto lights and wipers
Infrared sensors measure the levels of light refraction caused by moisture on the windscreen and ambient light detectors would supply readings to the central processing unit (CPU) of the autonomous vehicle so that it can alter its road speed accordingly. Lights may not strictly be necessary in radar- and GPS-guided cars, but would make vehicles more visible
to pedestrians.
Blind-spot information systems (BLIS)
Modern vehicles utilise either cameras or radar technology to recognise an object in a driver’s blind spot. The information is usually relayed via flashing warning lights located in the relevant side mirrors when a driver attempts to change lanes without noticing whether there’s a vehicle in their blind spot. This information could easily be relayed to the CPU of the self-driven vehicle.
Lane departure warning
Forward-facing cameras in modern vehicles are able to detect lines on the road and if the driver strays across a line without indicating, it can warn the driver (audible or through a vibration in the steering wheel) and even steer the vehicle back into the lane. Self-driven vehicles will make use of a more complicated system, but it will nevertheless be based on this technology.
Adaptive cruise control
Forward-facing radar systems detect vehicles in a car’s path when cruise control is activated. Speed will be lowered from the set target to keep a pre-set distance to the vehicle in front and even brake if needed. When the vehicle in front speeds up again the system will allow acceleration until the target cruise-control speed is reached. This system will form an integral part of autonomous driving technology.
Autonomous emergency braking
Insurance companies must be relieved that many modern cars are now fitted with a system that can perform emergency braking in case a driver does not spot a vehicle (or obstacle), because the most common insurance claims stem from fender-benders in stop-start traffic.
Intelligent parking assist
The parking assist feature, which made headlines in 2004 when Lexus introduced it for the first time in a production vehicle, enables a vehicle to parallel park itself with the aid of various cameras and sonar technology. This feature is now available in many modern vehicles and is also ideal to support the parking functions of the self-driven vehicle of the future.
GPS and connectivity
Although GPS is widely used as a driving tool today, it would also be able to guide the self-driven car of the future. Connectivity through cellular networks can inform the vehicle of traffic congestion, so that it can choose alternative routes, while providing occupants with a live connection to the Internet.
Legislation
Although the technologies that will enable the advent of the autonomous vehicle are already available, legislation might be the biggest obstacle to having the function available in new vehicles. Safety is of the utmost concern and it would be virtually impossible to guarantee the reliability of a self-driving system over the life of a vehicle. The Governor of California has taken the plunge, following the cue of the American states of Nevada and Florida, by passing a law that allows self-driving vehicles to be tested on public roads. He was convinced after being dropped off at his office by the famous Google self-driving car (see sidebar).
Future possibilities
Autonomous driving could mean that children can be dropped off at school and shuttled to all extra-curricular activities while parents get a deserved break. Going on holiday can be as easy as buckling up at night and waking up at your destination in the morning. How pleasant would it be to be delivered to the entrance of a shopping centre and letting your car drive away and park itself? Apart from all the practical advantages, the system will also result in fuel savings through the automatisation of economical driving strategies. Bosch, an automotive supplier, will release a system in 2014 called traffic jam assistant that will reportedly allow vehicles to drive autonomously (accelerate, brake and steer) in city environments at speeds of up to 50 km/h.
Conclusion
Judging by South Africa’s shocking road-safety statistics, removing the human element from the process of driving a vehicle might actually result in the biggest ever saving in lives lost due to traffic accidents. There will be no drunk drivers to convict and the laws of the road will be adhered to the letter. Driving enthusiasts might cringe at the idea of a car that drives itself, but at least for the time being it’s planned that self-driving systems can be over-ridden by the driver if they take
the controls.
