(imaged: Bus 13 by Kecko via Flickr Creative Commons)
Whenever a new technology comes out there is someone making the argument that it will replace an already existing service, thus causing some people to lose their jobs. There are some people now making that argument about autonomous cars and how they will replace public transit.
While the idea of fully autonomous vehicles, like autonomous taxis, can be quicker and more effective than traditional public transit, it is only partially true. What it really comes down to is how densely populated the area in question is. There is no going around public transit when the area in question is some place like Tokyo, Japan. No matter how good autonomous vehicles get, there is always the issue of space, or the lack of it. In overly dense cities, it is not practical to have a lot of space between each citizen. The ability of transporting forty people in one public transport vehicle cannot be topped by the effectiveness of autonomous vehicles. But there are cases when autonomous vehicles would come out on top, namely low density areas. Areas where only a handful of commuters ride the bus can do away with the buses and benefit from autonomous vehicles.
Another point supporting public transport is that by the time technology has evolved to allow for autonomous vehicles, equal benefits will come to public transport, thus making it more practical than they are now. The public transport system will increase in efficiency and effectiveness over time.
In the end, autonomous vehicles can replace public transport in particular cases, but for the most part public transportation is still a necessity and a better option than autonomous vehicles.
Even with all this talk about autonomous cars and Google cars, there is that one question… When? When will we be able to purchase one?
With all these technologies advancing and crazy ideas popping out of scientists’ minds, we have invented a myriad of gadgets and tools to surprise the citizens. However, redesigning the invention for a whole mass of people may take just as long as to create the first product, if not longer. Conferences have been held over the topic of the release of autonomous vehicles in the past several years ever since Google has made its debut with its autonomous cars.
As expected, many scientists at the earlier conferences doubted the success of autonomous cars in the years to come. If not, they expected many years until completion. Why you ask? The science behind artificial intelligence, otherwise known as AI, and data needed to function these systems would take a whole lot of time. These are just few of the many problems that scientists needed to face back then and now. On top of that, there are governmental issues and laws that would allow such machines to roam about the place. The idea was bright but the future seemed dim considering all the problems they had to face.
Justlast year, Nissan got the population stirred with its announcement of autonomous cars into the streets as early as 2020. But in early July, the company held a conference discussing the progress of their project. They announced that they haven’t made much progress and won’t be for a while with the new problems they’re facing. By 2020, they ensured that their cars will be sold with the option of driverless parking and freeway driving without the aid of the driver. This specifically excludes urban and city driving where they won’t be able to collect too much data unless these cars “explore” cities and such.
In one of the more recentconferences held in United States, about 500 scientists, who are, of course, experts in autonomous vehicles, came together to discuss the direction and the progress they have made. It was very clear that the availability of autonomous cars in the market would be quite far off from today. As mentioned before, the science behind this technology would require much more time, and some of the more optimistic scientists expected (which is around 50% of the scientists) these vehicles to hit the market in the 2030’s at the very earliest. About a quarter to a fifth of the scientists predicted 2040, and almost a tenth predicted not in their lifetime. Whatever the case is, we can be assured that we won’t see these amazing robotic cars until a decade from today…
Before this topic ends, I feel the need to shift your attention to something else by asking this question, “Will the middle and lower class even be able to afford it?”
Photo Credits toJaap Meijers from flickr.com (Creative Commons)
In the automotive industry, the new product to perfect is autonomous driving. Basically, the company who can successfully sell and manufacture these cars will be on top of the game and spearhead a new movement. This race includes manufacturers like Mercedes, Google, and Tesla. However, one huge company refuses to build a fully autonomous vehicle, protecting the right of human drivers from this movement.
That’s right, good ol’ Toyota is refusing to head into this new era and against a completely autonomous vehicle. Toyota’s deputy chief, Seigo Kuzumaki states “Toyota’s main objective is safety, so it will not be developing a driverless car.” In addition, Toyota believes the human is the superior fusion of senses and action, because ultimately humans are in control of the vehicle and can act accordingly to situations.
In addition, Toyota’s engineer of future transportation Ken Laberteaux, claims that autonomous vehicles could increase pollution not decrease. Explaining that “US history shows that anytime you make driving easier, there seems to be this inexhaustible desire to live further from things.”
All in all, it appears that while most companies are vigorously fighting to keep that competitive edge in the automotive technology, Toyota is taking a more subtle approach.
While Toyota claims they will not build a fully autonomous vehicle, they do support the technology. Released last year, Toyota’s Automated Highway Driving Assist will help drivers on long road trips. This technology will assist and control in brakes, steering, and throttle as long as the driver is paying attention and alert. Using infrared eye measurements on the driver, alertness and attention can be measured. In addition, Lexus already uses pre-collision assist which uses sensors to predict a collision and preparing the vehicle for impact.
Overall, it is clear that Toyota is not racing to completely build an autonomous car, however they are picking and piecing autonomous technology into cars to create a hybrid car that keeps the human driver in complete control while offering the autonomous option for assistance.
The engineering team at Audi has been working with automated driving for some time now, as it believes it is the future of automobiles. Feeding their competitive racing desires with autonomous driving started with an Audi TTS on the salt flats of Utah in 2009. Five years ago a driverless TTS set a world speed record for self-driving cars on the Bonneville flats at 130 mph. Its victory lap carved out the pattern of Audi’s iconic four rings in the salt as a boisterous display of its dominance.
One year later, the piloted TTS nicknamed “Shelley” climbed the infamous 12.42 mile, 156 bend Pikes Peak hill-climb in an impressive time of 27 minutes. Fitted with ultra-precise GPS, Audi claims to have finished the climb while departing only 2 centimeters from the vehicle’s defined course.
Once again Audi was eager to show off its cutting edge technology as it revealed its new RS7 piloted driving concept vehicle. As with the TTS, a standard reveal was not acceptable. It had to be something extravagant. That extravagance was realized with an automated lap of Frankfurt, Germany’s Hockenheimring at racing speeds almost two weeks ago, after the DTM (Germany’s touring car championship) finale. But first, the car.
This 560 hp beast, capable of 240 kph and 1.1 lateral g’s, was a standard production RS7 sportback fitted with diverless technology by Audi’s engineering team. There are two main ways the RS7, nicknamed “Bobby”, was able to read the road. One was an ultra-sensitive GPS attached to the roof of the car to keep track of exact position. The other was a serial camera mounted towards the front of the car that is able to gather all the surroundings. Audi claims that the combined technology allows Bobby to drive to its physical limits with millimeter precision. That millimeter precision was seen when Bobby was let loose at the Hockenheimring once the DTM finale had ended.
The 21 minute video attached below shows a brief description of the car before watching it take its automated lap. The lap is exquisite and beautifully precise. At racing speeds, the RS7 is seen ripping through the track. Though no lap time was stated, a press release from Audi a week prior to the event projected a time of just over two minutes. That is fast! Not only the fasted automated lap but possibly faster than the current four door record holder, a BMW M3, that completed a lap in 2007 at 2:02.71.
Once again Audi has displayed it dominance in the piloted vehicle sector, but this display was not just to show off. Audi claims that exercises like this are done to create and test similar technologies that are going to eventually be put into production vehicles. These systems include Traffic Jam Pilot and Audi’s Piloted Parking system.
The former, Traffic Jam Pilot, is a new technology developed by Audi for, as the name suggests, traffic jams. At speeds under 37 mph, sensors and lasers scanning up to 80 meters detects traffic movement in the vehicles ahead. Taking complete control of the car, the Traffic Jam Pilot can accelerate and break with the movement of traffic until reaching a speed of 37 mph in which the system will disengage, allowing the driver to take control of the vehicle. The mundane task of driving in traffic often leads to frustration, anger, and small or large accidents. The use of Traffic Jam Pilot can eliminate this risks leaving the driver more refreshed and aware.
The second technology mentioned, Piloted Parking, is different than most self-parking systems. This new system enables the car to park without the driver even in the car. Using the same serial camera and sensors, the car is able to identifyand park itself into a spot while the “driver” just watches from outside the vehicle.
With the engineering team at Audi developing cutting edge automated driver technologies, it’s no wonder they are so bold in their boisterous display of extravagance. If you have the tech to back it up then why not!
We’ve all been there. Your flight lands after a long business trip or vacation and you are completed exhausted by the time you have picked up your baggage. But you still have one more task to accomplish. You have no idea where you parked on the day of your departure and it’s time to go search for your vehicle in the vast expanse of the airport parking lot. Düsseldorf Airport in Germany, has found a solution to this problem through the use of robotic technology, and it is more than likely that we will start seeing this system used more in the near future.
Image provided by “Wikipedia”
Here is how the automated parking system works. First, you book your entrance and exit dates through the online portal. When you arrive at the parking lot, you leave your car to be taken by the forklift-like robot named “Ray”. This robot takes your car, records its measurements, and stores it with the other cars left by customers. It is priced at 30 euros a night, and is only a two minute walk from the airport entrance. You can read more about the process and see pictures of “Ray” here. You can also see an animation of the process, and video of the robot at work.
Having the computerized system store the cars also is an advantage in terms of required space. Because people don’t need to be able to get to the cars and drive them out, the robots can organize them in a very efficient manner. Techno Crazed states that, “This innovation will allow companies responsible for parking of cars to free 60% more parking capacity as compared to traditional parking operations.” The site also says that the system is linked with the airports flight database, so when people arrive from their flight the robot automatically starts preparing their car for pick up.
It is exciting to stay up to date with the program, and see how much it is being embraced by the airport users. The only question is if the automated parking features in individual cars will take over before this robotic system can be implemented in other airports.
Obviously safety is the number one issue with autonomous cars. However, how exactly are manufacturing testing these features and ensuring the safety of the driver? Manufacturers need to use scenarios at exhaustively test each safety feature. And in the end, manufacturers use scenarios that mock the real world. After testing braking, radar sensing, speed, lane changing and etc. autonomous driving cars are tested on the real public roads. As mentioned in the previous blog, only California, Nevada, Arizona and Michigan has legalized autonomous cars on public roads. For instance, Google is has already registered it’s first autonomous car user to Mr. Steve Mahan in San Jose, California.
Steve is blind, which means that this new technology greatly increases Steve’s range of mobility and makes distant transportation possible for him. Already, the car is able to cruise into drive throughs, check and safely proceed through stop signs, and make perfect radius turns around bends. In addition to all this testing, sources say that in 20 years, nearly half of all vehicles will be autonomous. Also, if autonomous cars prove to be effective, in 20 years, we may see different laws and the construction of new lanes specifically for autonomous vehicles. Once again, this is under the assumption that autonomous cars are safe and effective. ( No way any of this would happen if autonomous cars turned evil and began crashing into things. Come on, I know that is a real fear in some of you) For instance, Mercedes-Benz has a title and method to proving that their autonomous vehicle will be safe.
Mercedes-Benz is one such car manufacturer that focuses on the safety of their customers and passengers. One technology Mercedes-Benz has developed is the PRE-SAFE preparation system. This technology consists of many sensors around the car that is constantly analyzing the conditions surrounding the car. If it determines that an imminent accident is to happen, it can tighten seatbelts, adjust headrests, and even roll up windows to help minimize the incoming impact. This is an example of a more fundamental safety technology.
Mercedes has built on top of PRE-SAFE for more particular safety solutions. The car’s sensors are also used to determine if the car is approaching the traffic at a dangerous speed. If it determines that collision is imminent, it will automatically activate the car’s brakes up to 40% and audibly alert the driver. If the driver does not respond, the car can fully activate the brakes to lessen the impact of the collision. In an earlier blog post, we mentioned driver fatigue and how it is a problem for drivers on long trips. Mercedes has developed a safety technology called Active Lane Keeping Assist. This technology uses a camera to watch the lines that mark lanes on the road. If the car starts to steer out of its lane, the steering wheel will vibrate to alert the driver. If needed, it can also apply the brakes of either wheel to keep the car in lane. An accompanying feature is the Active Blind Spot Assist. Cameras are watching your blind spot for the driver so when he tries to signals to switch lanes with a car in his blind spot, the car will audibly and visually alert the driver. Finally, Mercedes-Benz is doing their best and putting their top engineers on the project to ensuring that autonomous vehicles are safe and prove to society that autonomous cars are in fact the next big thing on the road.
Don’t you hate it when people try to park their cars next to you and end up hitting your car instead? Then one day you see a car commercial that advertised rotating side mirrors for parking assistance? We thought this would revolutionize the way people park, but the problem with parallel parking lingered on… On the bright side, with all these technological advances, we are all aware of the autonomous cars, especially Google’s. Luckily for us, we have companies that have been researching and carrying out actual experiments that could aid citizens with better parking experience.
So what do these companies have in store for us? Most automobile companies have already pushed for the implementation of automated parking systems that not only shows the critical angles for the side mirror but a sensor that catches the back view. Okay, not many of us are surprised at this advancement since turning your head is a lot more efficient than trusting an awkward camera view that never seems to get the job done. But what if there were different sensors like accelerometers and such in the back of your car to know how much you should turn at certain velocity? All you would have to do is turn the steering wheel and brake according to what your car tells you. You no longer have to worry about what angle your car should be turning. If that didn’t satisfy you, now they have steering wheel implementation that turns the wheel on its own and the user only has to brake at certain force. Forget about using your brain, just follow what your car tells you to do!
But you might say that isn’t enough! I want a car that parks itself! Well, you’re in luck since many of the automobile industries are trying to implement this idea of “driverless parking.” Questions now arise, “Can it park without me in the car? Can it perform parallel parking? Can it park on its own in parking structures?” We’ll slowly discover that these cars are more capable than what we’d expect.
Let’s get on with the basics. Looking at Bosch’s improvement on their project, yes, these cars can park on its own without having a driver. To what extent or how well these cars park themselves won’t be discussed much further than the fact that these cars use science behind physics and mathematics to position itself in between cars and lines. I mean if you look at the video, it’s very convincing that these cars can park better than some people you know.
So how are these cars able to do this? If you looked at the photo above, these cars use sensors in front and back to notice any cars and objects near them. Once it notices an open spot, it slows down, calculates the space and distance, then steers its wheels to park. It even has many user-friendly implementations aside from driverless parking. If you had one of these cars, you could get out of the car, stand in the lot and use an app to order the car to park. These cars then would turn off the engine and lock itself so that the driver wouldn’t have to walk to his/her car and lock. What many automobile industries are striving for is the parking system that would allow drivers to leave their cars outside the lot, and these driverless cars would go through the lot on its own and park. These parked cars would then find its own way down the lot when the returned driver uses an app orders to do so. Times are coming when you don’t have to look for a parking spot when you enter a plaza! Ford has come up with cars that can parallel park but it isn’t technically driverless. It requires a behind-the-wheel driver to oversee the process and apply brakes while the car steers its wheels.
So the effect of these driverless parking implementation is obvious. It will aid the public with parking at home, in parking structures, and on the streets. But when will we see one? We don’t know. People have been claiming estimated guesses, but even then, they are just guesses and not confirmations. We can only wait. With that said, many people are already expecting a lot more than just driverless parking, hail the long-waited autonomous cars for the public.
Tesla has provided an extraordinary addition to the modern driving experience once again with the new Model D enhancement to their current line of Model S cars. The “D” in Model D stands for “dual motor” which a large portion of the online community had already guessed. But at the unveiling event last week on October 9th, Tesla had much more up their sleeve to surprise their growing fan base.
This image of the Model D unveiling was taken from “Automobile Italia”
We could write an entire blog post on how this dual electric motor system has now set the world record for the fastest sedan at 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds. Or that the all-wheel-drive feature now makes the car more efficient, unlike their gasoline counterparts. You can read all about that stuff here. But we know why you’re interested in this blog, so let’s talk about how this relates to automated transportation.
Other big car companies have added automated features like parking and cruise control, so what’s the game changer here? Well let’s start with the new technology on the car. The new model D’s come equipped with “forward radar, 12 long range ultrasonic sensors positioned to sense 16 feet around the car in every direction at all speeds, a forward looking camera, and a high precision, digitally controlled electric assist braking system.” You can read more direct quotes from Tesla on their blog. With all these different methods of sensors backing each other up, it enables the car to have several autonomous features, even in the worst of weather conditions.
The biggest area where this new software comes into play is on the highway. Because of the 360 degree ultrasonic sensors and the forward radar connected to the steering system, the car can detect the lanes of the road and stay on the correct path, as well as change lanes safely when the driver signals. In addition to this, with the use of the front facing camera, the advanced system can recognize speed limit signs and slow down accordingly to the specified speed. Traffic obstructions, pedestrians, and things like snow and sand, do not pose a threat to the safety of the driver because of the highly sensitive sensors and automated brakes on the car. Tesla even boasts that (while you’re on private property) you can program the car to sync to your calendar, and meet you at your front door when you desire to leave in the morning. It can also warm or cool your car to your preference, and even have your favorite music already playing right when you get in the car.
All of these features aren’t just a teaser from Tesla that we have to wait for either, the automated software has already been installed in the cars for the past three weeks.
This is just the first step towards a fully driver-less vehicle from Tesla, and they have made some serious headway with this release. At the rate technology is advancing, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a fully automated vehicle from Tesla in the near future.
With the new wave of self-driving vehicles such as the google car taking the public by storm, people are wondering when these products will be available for use by the public. I mean who doesn’t want to have a personal chauffeur to take you to work, or the store, or cross state to visit family while you relax, comfortably watching Netflix in the back seat. However, most people don’t think about the possibilities autonomous driving has for the betterment of our troops.
Well thankfully, some engineers at Torc Robotics are. It’s called GUSS and it stands for Ground Unmanned Support Surrogate. Based off of a 6×6 off roader from Polaris, and packed with the latest in technologies by Torc, GUSS is capable of driving itself over a variety of challenging terrain without the assistance of a driver. According to autoblog, GUSS is fitted with numerous sensors and on-board computer programing. This enables it to function in three different pre-programmed modes: “Target Mode”, “Follow Me”, and “WE Mode.”
“Target Mode” is when an operator can “target” a point or multiple points and GUSS will make its way to those points, using its sensors to avoid obstacles along the way.
“Follow Me” mode is pretty self-explanatory. In this mode some sort of personnel can be followed by the vehicle at a distance predetermined and programed into GUSS.
The final mode, “WE Mode,” enables GUSS to be controlled remotely by the troops. Basically a gigantic remote controlled car.
With these modes, the military has a lot of potential uses for something like GUSS. Digital Trends says that the military is taking interest in GUSS because of its off road capabilities, ability to deliver supplies where needed, usefulness in lightening the load of soldiers, and as a defense against IEDs that might not be detected by troops.
Based on an ATV, weighing in at 1800 pounds, and having top speed of 5 mph, GUSS may not seem to have the all qualifications for the job description supplied, but as a prototype it is very exciting. Autonomous vehicles may have a long way before we are able to enjoy their amenities, but it is encouraging seeing how they can transform and even save the lives of our troops.
You can watch GUSS in action during testing at the Marine Corps’ Kahuku Training Area on Oahu, Hawaii in the footage below courtesy of Aiirsource.
This is Autonomous Vehicles today and we are here to talk about Autonomous Vehicles. These are cars of the future! In this blog, we explain the ideas, the characteristics, and basically everything new about autonomous vehicles today. Already vehicles that can drive themselves are making incredible progress, however they still have a long way to go before they are socially accepted and a part of the American culture. Thankfully, Autonomous Vehicles Today are here to inform you every step of the way.
The first blog is about how Mercedes will revolutionize the long haul experience.
How many of you have felt tired and come close to falling asleep on the wheel while driving? I certainly have, but I actually like driving. If we feel tired from just driving between a couple cities, think about the long-haul drivers who travel at least 250 miles per trip! Also, they have their own speed limit of 50mph, which means their trips take even longer. Due to federal restrictions, some truckers are forced to spend their entire shift driving when they would rather take a couple hours’ worth of rest. Sadly, every year long-haul truck accidents kill over 5000 people and injure many more. Here comes the good news: Mercedes-Benz recently showcased the Future Truck 2025, a concept truck that can autonomously drive down the highway, thus allowing the trucker to get some rest or complete different tasks. It is important to note that this convenient technology will not replace the driver but make his job easier and safer.
But how will this vehicle operate? How can Mercedes ensure that the technology behind the autonomous navigation will be safe enough for families and friends? Obviously, safety is the largest issue behind this truck and Mercedes seems to have the answer. This 2025 Future truck comes with 360 degree radar and sensor controls constantly being sent out and received. On the truck’s front, radars are mounted to sense objects near and far. In addition on the windshield, radars sense traffic and driving signs, signals, and road markings. On the truck’s sides, radars are placed along the body to sense entire area parallel to the truck as well as two meters in front. In addition, the blind spot is completely covered using radar, thus ensuring safety on both sides for lane changing and emergency vehicles. Finally, on the bottom of the truck, three dimensional digital maps are used to analyze the road’s course and roughness. The three dimensional maps are from an assistance system called Predictive Powertrain Control. All sensor and radar on the truck are networked together, thus creating a complete image of the surrounding. This way, the truck knows exactly what is happening around all sides and can respond accordingly. All this radar and sensor information was from
All this being said, it seems that the 2025 Future Truck will be safe if the technology supporting it is perfected and adjusted to human driving styles and culture. Certainly, I wouldn’t enter a vehicle that wasn’t safe even if I could get somewhere without opening my eyes or touching the pedal. In addition to customer awareness of safety, public road safety is a huge obstacle the autonomous industry faces. Even before the vehicle is publicly showcased, countries such as Europe are banning autonomous vehicles on public roads. Thus, Mercedes must test their truck in areas where such technology is legal, such as states like Nevada and Arizona. According to Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, a Member of the Board Daimler AG, “it basically comes up to who is going to be first. Whoever is going to have the legal environment that we need, we will introduce that technology.” Basically, areas are that up for the technological jump are going to be the first to showcase such technology on the road. So suit up, because in the near future, you may just see a giant Mercedes truck cruising with no one in the driver seat.
Autonomous Vehicles Today 