ALL >> Automobiles >> View Article
Right Here Is Fine Mr Car
Like jet-packs, self-driving vehicles have been the staple of our indefinite future at least since the time of our grandparents. In the good old chrome and bakelite heyday, the imagination of science fiction concept artists most often stopped at dreams of clanky robot chauffeurs not much removed from the Tin Man. These ironclad butlers would sit in the car and actually drive as a human would; not the most elegant automation interface, but one that helped humanize technology for people who were just getting used to the idea of automata that could do things on their own.
An amusing descendant of these robots is the "Johnny Cab" from the Arnold Schwarzenegger film "Total Recall" - a disturbing plastic torso which, while endowed with an infectious smile, was a hilariously obtuse and unhelpful source of information for a man pursued by armed assailants.
On a level generally less remarked by pop culture, bespectacled experts in universities and defense facilities have been working for many years to create actual self-driving vehicles. The results, until recently unsuccessful, have generally taken the form of wire-studded ...
... boxes and pivoting roof cameras. The major problem in this endeavor has been computing technology - computers, until recently, have simply not been powerful enough, and the software - not sophisticated enough, to perform the highly varied and uncertain terrain recognition and situational awareness tasks that human drivers can do without thinking.
Until this technology became viable, most self-driving cars were either limited to extremely narrow functions, such as parking, or designed to follow a pre-determined route, set either by visual markings on the road, or embedded radios or magnets. This had the obvious disadvantages of, first, needing to retool long stretches of infrastructure to make them suitable for automatic vehicles, and second, the inability of these vehicles to deal with any unexpected situations.
Fortunately, (or unfortunately, depending on how paranoid you are about the possibility of a ruthless robot takeover of the globe), in recent years, computing technology has caught up to the point where it's not outside of the realm of possibility to have a machine respond in real-time to the challenges of driving both off-road and in full traffic. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which seems to have a hand in just about every advanced engineering project, kicked off 2004 by conducting a well-publicized desert race for driverless vehicles, with a cool million dollars as the prize purse.
The first race was not quite a success - to the mirth of skeptics, none of the vehicles completed the 150-mile course, and, in fact, not one getting beyond 12 miles in. The laughter was silenced the very next year, when all but one of the contestants beat this distance; moreover, 5 vehicles actually completed the full course.
The latest advance in driverless vehicles has been the unveling by Google of its very own, city-ready vehicle that is undergoing tests and certification. The fascinating vehicle has driven, with minimal human intervention, over thousands of miles of American roads, both with and without traffic (no word on whether it took pictures while rolling down the street). Google has just been granted a patent for the technology that allows the vehicle to transition between human-driven and driverless modes.
Legislators are still uncomfortable with the innovations; with massive liability issues hanging over the driverless car industry, it will probably be a while until a 100% unmanned car is allowed on the roads. As with all technological progress, however, this is probably only a matter of time. One has to wonder if the whole endeavor will go meta, and we will have driverless auto shipping companies delivering driverless cars.
This article is courtesy of Auto Shipping Hub, your one stop hub for both an auto shipping quote and auto shipping rates.
Add Comment
Automobiles Articles
1. The Best Tools For Car Dent Removal: Your Guide To A Smooth RideAuthor: Rafia Ismail
2. Avoid These Bad Habits While Driving Your Car
Author: Briswide Driving School
3. The Basics Of Charter Bus Services
Author: Tae Jeong
4. The Future Of Automotive Repair: Integrating Advanced Technologies
Author: interequip
5. Do You Have An Idea About The Performance Of Yokohama Tyres?
Author: Tyre Lab
6. Find Your Dream Bike At Woodstock Harley-davidson In 2024
Author: Woodstock Harley Davidson
7. Explore The Thrill: Harley-davidson Road King For Sale In Woodstock, Il
Author: Woodstock Harley Davidson
8. Buy Best Powersports And Outdoor Vehicles At Ken’s Sports Of Green Bay
Author: Ken's Sports Of Green Bay
9. Discover High-quality Used Watercraft For Sale In Hawkesbury
Author: Maximum Powersports
10. Best Atv Off-road Vehicles And Polaris Side-by-sides Near Corpus Christi
Author: Neessen Outdoors
11. Explore The Can-am Defender Sxs Vehicles For Sale In Kingsville, Texas
Author: Neessen Outdoors
12. Is Your Car Winter Ready?
Author: navnitmaruti
13. Revitalize Your Ride: Top Reasons To Consider Vehicle Paint Restoration In London
Author: John Muriel
14. Chery Omoda 5: The Future Of Affordable Electric Suvs – What Sets It Apart
Author: aaron
15. Why You Need A Specialized Motor Vehicle Accident Attorney In Chicago
Author: johnhaddens