Yes, self-driving cars or the bane of car enthusiasts the world over.
Let’s face the sad facts: Kids today would rather play games and explore the world on their phones than drive. Moreover, the road infrastructure with which we deal with on a daily basis in North America is already overtaxed. If you ask me, this lack of interest will lower future driver’s overall level of driving skills.
Although I’d vote for more roads and highways, the likelihood of that happening is nowhere near as great as the one that will eventually make drivers redundant. One of the most anticipated pros to the coming of these vehicles is that they are expected to alleviate traffic and bottlenecks. The other is a sharp reduction in accidents. There is a clear correlation between lowered abilities and self-driving cars.
Moving towards autonomous cars
CES 2013 proved to be an ideal place to show off some of the latest cars and technologies that will eventually run our roads. Throughout 2012, the many sightings in the U.S. of Google’s driverless cars garnered much attention, pushing the states of Nevada, Florida and California to pass laws permitting driverless cars. They’re out there.
Lexus, with their Lexus Integrated Safety Concept at the 2013 CES, had quite a bit to say and show. Their presentation spoke mostly about accidents and how they will be drastically reduced -- if not altogether eliminated -- when cars do all the “thinking.” However, this will not happen overnight.
In the U.S., although overall numbers are dropping, 1 in 6 accidents are due to distracted driving. Lexus wants to move this stat to 0 accidents. This does not mean that cars will be driverless from the onset, but constantly assisted. In other words, the car will compensate for a lack, or a lower set, of driving skills. We can already see many of these active safety features in cars today: collision avoidance, stereo cameras, and radars.
Cars talking to each other
The next step will be communication on a broad scale between cars, roads, traffic lights, and more. The sharing of data between the elements we encounter on the road everyday will be the key to aiding and abetting smoother traffic flow, thus potentially avoiding accidents. For this to function, a set of standards will have to be established so that a GM and a Kia can transmit road condition info to each other. We’re not there yet, and it won’t happen by New Year’s 2014; but it won’t be that far off.
Today, in 2013, the “layered” approach to the implementation of what will eventually become an autonomous car is already well underway, and it began years ago. Think back to the arrival, en mass, of stability control, ABS brakes and now, self-parking and vehicles equipped with three, even five cameras.
There is a fear that our privacy, through data mining, will be affected because of this mass communication between road elements, but I suspect that as it evolves and becomes more mainstream, we will adapt and forget. It will be common, like high gas prices. Think about your smartphone (or even the navigation system in your car): you’re constantly being tracked, regardless.
Integrated Safety Management Concept
Toyota and Lexus pulled the wraps off its advanced active safety research vehicle and, like Google, Audi, and other makes or companies with lots of bread Lexus has done this to demonstrate their constant efforts at building ever safer cars by using autonomous vehicle safety technologies. The car you see in the pictures is a Lexus LS.
Toyota Motor Company’s game plan involves what was described earlier: Traffic safety will become a choreographed mixed bag of data and information through which people and cars will navigate.
Lexus’ strategy, or game plan, carries through the following five phases of operation (from Lexus):
-Initial time the driver and car begin a journey from a parked position;
-Active safety systems designed to avoid a crash;
-Pre-crash aimed at preparing for a collision;
-Passive safety to help survive a crash;
-Rescue and response after a crash has occurred.
The LS is loaded with sensors including GPS, stereo cameras, radar and Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) laser tracking. They observe, process, and respond to the vehicle’s surroundings. Now, imagine every car equipped with such technologies and able to communicate with one other and their environment. This is what Toyota is also working on and they call it the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS).
The ITS is plugging the car into its driving environment. Toyota has actually invested in a full-scale operation on an 8.6-acre proving ground, located within the Higashi-Fuji Technical Center in Toyota City, Japan. The area is a copy of a modern urban setting with roads, traffic signals and is meant to mimic the real-life ebb and flow of traffic involving vehicles, pedestrians and, most importantly, the control devices that will eventually scrutinize and manage the future of traffic.
As you can see, the future is right around the bend and it is being carefully monitored by all. Soon, you won’t have to watch where you’re going…
Let’s face the sad facts: Kids today would rather play games and explore the world on their phones than drive. Moreover, the road infrastructure with which we deal with on a daily basis in North America is already overtaxed. If you ask me, this lack of interest will lower future driver’s overall level of driving skills.
Although I’d vote for more roads and highways, the likelihood of that happening is nowhere near as great as the one that will eventually make drivers redundant. One of the most anticipated pros to the coming of these vehicles is that they are expected to alleviate traffic and bottlenecks. The other is a sharp reduction in accidents. There is a clear correlation between lowered abilities and self-driving cars.
Moving towards autonomous cars
CES 2013 proved to be an ideal place to show off some of the latest cars and technologies that will eventually run our roads. Throughout 2012, the many sightings in the U.S. of Google’s driverless cars garnered much attention, pushing the states of Nevada, Florida and California to pass laws permitting driverless cars. They’re out there.
Lexus, with their Lexus Integrated Safety Concept at the 2013 CES, had quite a bit to say and show. Their presentation spoke mostly about accidents and how they will be drastically reduced -- if not altogether eliminated -- when cars do all the “thinking.” However, this will not happen overnight.
In the U.S., although overall numbers are dropping, 1 in 6 accidents are due to distracted driving. Lexus wants to move this stat to 0 accidents. This does not mean that cars will be driverless from the onset, but constantly assisted. In other words, the car will compensate for a lack, or a lower set, of driving skills. We can already see many of these active safety features in cars today: collision avoidance, stereo cameras, and radars.
Cars talking to each other
The next step will be communication on a broad scale between cars, roads, traffic lights, and more. The sharing of data between the elements we encounter on the road everyday will be the key to aiding and abetting smoother traffic flow, thus potentially avoiding accidents. For this to function, a set of standards will have to be established so that a GM and a Kia can transmit road condition info to each other. We’re not there yet, and it won’t happen by New Year’s 2014; but it won’t be that far off.
Today, in 2013, the “layered” approach to the implementation of what will eventually become an autonomous car is already well underway, and it began years ago. Think back to the arrival, en mass, of stability control, ABS brakes and now, self-parking and vehicles equipped with three, even five cameras.
There is a fear that our privacy, through data mining, will be affected because of this mass communication between road elements, but I suspect that as it evolves and becomes more mainstream, we will adapt and forget. It will be common, like high gas prices. Think about your smartphone (or even the navigation system in your car): you’re constantly being tracked, regardless.
Integrated Safety Management Concept
Toyota and Lexus pulled the wraps off its advanced active safety research vehicle and, like Google, Audi, and other makes or companies with lots of bread Lexus has done this to demonstrate their constant efforts at building ever safer cars by using autonomous vehicle safety technologies. The car you see in the pictures is a Lexus LS.
Toyota Motor Company’s game plan involves what was described earlier: Traffic safety will become a choreographed mixed bag of data and information through which people and cars will navigate.
Lexus’ strategy, or game plan, carries through the following five phases of operation (from Lexus):
-Initial time the driver and car begin a journey from a parked position;
-Active safety systems designed to avoid a crash;
-Pre-crash aimed at preparing for a collision;
-Passive safety to help survive a crash;
-Rescue and response after a crash has occurred.
The LS is loaded with sensors including GPS, stereo cameras, radar and Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) laser tracking. They observe, process, and respond to the vehicle’s surroundings. Now, imagine every car equipped with such technologies and able to communicate with one other and their environment. This is what Toyota is also working on and they call it the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS).
The ITS is plugging the car into its driving environment. Toyota has actually invested in a full-scale operation on an 8.6-acre proving ground, located within the Higashi-Fuji Technical Center in Toyota City, Japan. The area is a copy of a modern urban setting with roads, traffic signals and is meant to mimic the real-life ebb and flow of traffic involving vehicles, pedestrians and, most importantly, the control devices that will eventually scrutinize and manage the future of traffic.
As you can see, the future is right around the bend and it is being carefully monitored by all. Soon, you won’t have to watch where you’re going…
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| Photo: Lexus |