How Ambitious and Pragmatic is the Autonomous Driving Technology?
How Ambitious and Pragmatic is the Autonomous Driving Technology?
Ever wondered, How Ambitious and Pragmatic is the Autonomous Driving Technology?
We have heard the concept of flying cars and underwater vehicles in the science fiction sections and admit that it is a fascinating concept. Many inventors have tried to materialize the theories but to no avail. Well, although we are way too ahead of ourselves the possibility of not exactly flying cars and unmanned vehicles has been already steered by the tech giants such as Waymo, GM Cruise, and Argo AI.
A direct quote from Michael Ramsey, the senior research director of automotive and smart mobility at Gartner- “ In the next few years, we are more likely to see shuttles and semi-public transportation in the form of slow-moving, granny-like vehicles that are operating in cities and dense urban areas. It may be that they operate in protected or semi-fixed routes for some time to come.”
Major innovations in the IoT and artificial technology have visualized certain autonomous applications in the automobile industry that have fuelled the ambitious idea of autonomous driving technology. Major autonomous vehicle companies have accomplished successful trials and tests which makes the future of completely autonomous driving promising. However, the idea has some limitations and minor obstacles to get out of the way before the ambitious project sees the light of the day.
By analyzing the positive prospects of the technology together with certain problematic hiccups, we can try and guess how ambitious and pragmatic is autonomous driving technology.
Let’s measure how idealistic is the approach to self-driving by listing the advantages of this tech:
Pros of autonomous driving
Low chances of road accidents
90% of road accidents are caused by human errors. The number of such accidents is also pretty high where someone else is at fault. Usually, your car gets totaled by someone who is driving carelessly. You might be a good driver but the same thing can’t be said about others on the road. Road rage, poor driving skills, and texting while driving is some of the reasons for most road accidents. Autonomous driving technology is beneficial for especially those people who lose control over the steering wheel due to a momentary lapse of judgment. The computer-driven cars follow a set route where chances of misjudgment are negligible. It is like being driven by someone reliable when in reality you are the one in the driving seat!
Your insurance policy will be relieved
No more accidents, no more insurance coverage. Your cars will remain insured without any cut-offs or setbacks. Remind you that insurance is there to protect you. Any damage associated costs would be minimized which in turn would relieve your insurance policy.
A boon for the physically disabled
It can be said with a guarantee that autonomous vehicles will be proved to be an essential transportation medium for many people with physical disabilities. The technology that allows the handicapped to drive is already possessed by usual vehicles. But the modifications done for this purpose are in no comparison to autonomous driving technology. For one, there won’t be any need for buying a car that is specially made for the handicapped. Self-driving cars are made the same for one and all. Besides having a fail-safe driving mechanism, this possibly will give a major confidence boost to the disabled owners.
Complete self-dependency
Believe it or not, the amount of time an average person spends on a daily commute takes up almost 1/4th of their entire day. This includes the additional time while getting stuck at traffic lights or other miscellaneous reasons. The stat goes up for people with no personal vehicles. Public transports are prone to unpredictable schedules without any prior notice. Getting late for work is one thing but having to bend your lifestyle only for the matter of reaching places seems unfair. This leads to dependency on others which is kind of not fitting for the modern world. Getting a car is advantageous for many reasons, but it takes you back to square one. However, getting an autonomous car is the ultimate solution to this problem. It will not only make you self-reliable but also lighten your load of traveling. Imagine going to work in an unmanned but safe car which will give you more time for prepping your business presentation on the way and bring you back home safely after a long day at work. This is a huge advantage for homemakers as well for they won’t have to worry about dropping their kids at school, shopping for daily necessities, and picking up kids and their other half, all of it right on time! We all lead very busy life. Having to worry about traveling should not be another add-on.
Everyone will be the first one to arrive as nobody will be late
Given the advantage of being on time already, self-driving will also improve your work efficiency. You will be able to reach your office on time with a fresh and relaxed mind which will further affect your work positively. This will also take care of long business or family trips that will be relaxing for the driver as well. Not to exclude the opportunity of extra quality time with one’s family. People will be more productive with the extra saved energy. Moreover, the duration of the journey will be shortened with the enhanced speed accuracy of the vehicle. As already mentioned, self-driving cars are programmed to make accurate pre-calculations of any road situation. Hence, the speed with absolutely no road trouble will be guaranteed.
Making smart decisions ahead of time
In addition to taking care of road safety, autonomous driving technology will also enable the car system to choose the best economic options. Making a well-thought assumption of fewer traffic routes and weather conditions will enable less fuel consumption. There would be no missed exit lanes, lane-cutting drivers, and traffic-merging mistakes. Self-driving technology will employ vehicle-platooning in which a group of vehicles will be able to travel closely with one another safely at high speed. This takes the edge off car engines and improves the aerodynamic effectiveness. A route filled with platoon cars will provide a more steady traffic flow, hence total road harmony. Vehicle-platooning will also reduce fuel consumption by drafting closely traveling cars.
The advanced anti-theft security mechanism
Autonomous vehicles would be equipped with more advanced and accurate anti-theft technology. The technology will enable biometric systems and face-recognition features among others. Without proper authorization, anyone else except for you would not be able to even turn on the engine. As your mobile device, your automobile will be self-aware and would not allow any sort of illegal access. The security systems of usual cars employ anti-burglar alarms which can be shut off by removing the device. Whereas self-driving cars would simply refuse to start upon sensing an unauthorized entry. Moreover, the alarm system would not be able to shut off by any means.
Security features will incorporate advanced dash cams with multiple high-definition AI smart cameras. The cameras will have a strong internet connection operative under any weather condition. Real-time access to the live feeds captured by vehicular cams will enable to detection of any possible break-ins or miscreants’ information.
Bottom line is that autonomous vehicles are the ultimate theft-proof mode of transportation with absolute fail-safe assurance.
No need for a driving license!
Well, not exactly. Even if you get a fully automated machine I don’t think you will be allowed to take it out without one. What I mean is that no matter how your driving skills are, self-driving cars will ensure your complete safety on the road. Even highly skilled drivers can make mistakes in certain situations. Autonomous driving technology will make your driving experience flawless. Although many people love to drive but admit it, there are hardly any open spaces left where you can go on smooth cruise mode. Self-driving cars will give you the same satisfaction of long drives by opting for less populated routes with perfect cruising. Driving is a mandatory obligation for many, which they don’t particularly like but have to deal with. On top of that, people traveling with such drivers are always unsure of their safety. With an autonomous car, all the issues can be easily resolved.
Traffic laws will never be broken
Riding a self-driving car would feel like riding a train. The routes are fixed, timings of stopping and stalling are pre-determined and you will never break any traffic rule. For those who love to drive, giving the total command to the car itself could be difficult. But on rare occasions when they need help driving them home for various reasons, the autonomous driving tech would turn out to be their best friend. Especially if they are too tired to drive but still don’t want to take someone else’s ride. Autonomous driving cars will obey traffic rules at any cost, especially while changing lanes or making a U-turn. If somebody is not sober on his way home from a social gathering and prefers to drive alone, all he would have to do is switch to self-driving mode and relax. As I have already said, most road accidents are someone else’s fault. Mixing drinking with driving is the number one cause of fatalities on the road. Not to mention illegal. You won’t have to enjoy yourself any less in your social gatherings because you were concerned with driving. Self-driving will not only ensure your safety but also the safety of others. Keeping the law intact and maintaining social order, all at once!
Even though the idea of autonomous driving is a highly ambitious prospect, we cannot deny the fact that everything has a flaw in it. In this case, more than flaws certain limitations understate the idea of autonomous driving technology. Let’s take a look, shall we!
Cons of Autonomous Driving
Self-dependency can be threatened by machine-dependency
As a joke, I stated above that we won’t need a driving license for a self-driving car. Having a driving license is an absolute necessity because it not only acts as proof of your driving abilities but also makes you aware of the fundamental driving information. Even though self-driving cars promise to be fail-safe but you should always remember that you are self-dependent and not machine-dependent. Hence, you should have complete knowledge of advanced as well as basic driving. A legit driving license is a must and during the course of its attainment, you should become thorough with the driving mechanism and troubleshooting. Self-driving is a wonderful technology that when made available for everyone will be the ultimate invention. Although submitting completely to an AI system can be troublesome in cases of emergency. Ignoring the basics of automobile machinery in the first place will haunt you when your car breaks down and you won’t be able to do anything except for blaming your car. Remember it won’t be the car’s fault but yours for becoming machine-dependent in the name of self-dependency. Self-driving cars will be suitable for everybody, but not everybody will be suitable for them.
Ultra-security mode may take notorious turns
Autonomous driving technology boasts of a highly advanced security system with a proficient anti-theft mechanism. But even the government files, which are the ultimate epitome of confidentiality have been hacked in the past. Such measures are being looked upon by the automobile techies for preventing any chance of funny business. The more ambitious a project is the higher its chances of getting sabotaged. Hacking is capable of a multitude of possibilities. It can make driverless cargo berserk, malfunction in the middle of a busy road, take disadvantage of the car’s inability to make secondary decisions, and the worst- get in hands of terrorist groups. Until and unless we are absolutely certain of the technology’s security standards, such questions will keep lingering in our minds.
AI technology still has a long way to go
It would seem unreasonable to keep human instincts above artificial intelligence. There is no comparison as AI is the superior form of human cognition. But there are some questions that do not have a simple yes as an answer. Such as, will the self-driving car be able to ensure the safety of both the driver and pedestrian if the latter appeared in a matter of seconds? Who will it prefer to save first, the driver or the pedestrian? If its primary choice is its owner, will it be able to save him in a split second? Such questions would be dealt with I am sure while programming the tech but still, human’s capability to make secondary decisions at critical moments should not be ignored. In the above-mentioned scenario, an alert human driver would try to avoid the pedestrian and try to save himself at the same time with a minimum casualty. In case of emergencies or some traffic technical difficulties, self-driving cars won’t be able to make the decision of stopping or slowing down. Especially at road construction sites, the AI could completely ignore a utility worker holding a stop sign and head straight to its doom. Keeping in mind all the possibilities, we could say that at present, a completely efficient self-driving tech is still in motion. Let’s wait for future advancements for answering these questions.
A complete autonomous vehicle is too expensive for an average person
Autonomous cars utilize technologies that cost over $100,000 per vehicle. The stated amount is still under consideration as the prices have been lowered as time progresses. However, even the outcome of the estimated price is too high for an average salaryman. It will take us more time, many years to be more specific, to be able to make the vehicles available for the majority of consumers. A high rate of production will only be possible when the project gets greenlit and tones down with the financial requirements. Until that day, we should stay tuned and watch ahead of the new autonomous features that are already getting a head start with a combination of the present technology.
Here we are with the conclusion that there is no doubt that technology is already here. Many leading automobile industries have already started integrating it with basic machinery. Until we are completely sure of the fail-safe mechanism of autonomous technology in our vehicles, the future of a complete driver-less vehicle is still far but not too far.