Autonomous Car

Uzair Ahmad (22L-6648)

Introduction:
Autonomous car is a vehicle that is capable of sensing its environment and moving safely with little or no human
input. The vehicles can drive itself using machine learning and complex programming. Currently, prototypes and
existing models use sensors, actuators, complex algorithms, machine learning systems, and powerful processors to
execute software to keep on them on the road. In addition, vehicles are also expected to communicate with each
other to gain a sense of the road and the traffic conditions.

Layers of Autonomy:
As of now, no self-driven cars are available. However, a degree of automation can still be seen. Such automation can
be seen in modern cars featuring technologies like cruise control, lane departure assist and a plethora of other safety
and self-driving features.

Level 0: All systems are human controlled

Level 1: Certain autonomous systems like cruise control, one at a time

Level 2: Two or more simultaneous systems, but requires human input

Level 3: Car can drive itself, but driver needs to stay alert

Level 4: Car is fully autonomous in all scenarios

Level 5: Car is fully autonomous in all scenarios

As of today, a level 4 car has been developed.

Benefits of Autonomous Vehicles:

Self-driven vehicles have numerous advantages. Some of these include an improved traffic flow. With all cars being
controlled by artificial intelligence it would make traffic stops and road rush a lot less hectic as there will be no
human error. In addition, this will also result in reduced road crashes as human factors such as reaction time and
misjudgement are eliminated. Currently, over 94% of total road crashes are caused by human error. Moreover, more
people will have access to vehicles such as the elderly or disabled people. With the introduction of electric vehicles,
it is expected that these self-driven cars would run on all-electric power, eliminating a large percentage of carbon
emissions and ultimately being sustainable for the environment.

Challenges in developing Autonomous Vehicles:

Despite its many advantages, self-driven cars still have a long way to go before making it to the open market and
many challenges are currently being tackled for the development of self-driven cars. One of the main issues
surrounding modern technology is security and autonomous vehicles are no different. For example, if a vehicle is
hacked it could become extremely dangerous and may lead to fatal road crashes as vehicles run out of control.
Moreover, a car’s computer being faulty or compromised can cause severe problems. Although a lack of human
activity can be seen as an advantage, the computer lacks a moral compass and the computer fails to make an
appropriate decision, such as stopping when an animal suddenly appears on the road. Moreover, it is also expected
that self-driven cars will require a large upfront cost and will also require a major change to the already existing
infrastructure of roads that exists today. It is also anticipated that to overcome problems in navigation autonomous
vehicles will require high-definition maps for the computer to be able to find its way around a busy city.

Conclusion:
Although autonomous vehicles are an interesting and new technology with many advantages, it is still faced with
many challenges and in truth require much time and effort to bring the project to market. However, with ever-
evolving technology, it is easy to provide solutions to problems as they arise and it is only a matter of time before
people start to adapt to self-driven cars. In conclusion, I think self-driven cars are the next big thing in technology
considering their many advantages not just for the motor industry, but also for the environment.