Everything You Need To Know About Self-Driving Cars
Everything You Need To Know About Self-Driving Cars
With autonomous vehicles like the Tesla Model S and Cadillac Escalade, it seems like automotive dreams of our favorite sci-fi media have come to fruition.
But how exactly do these cars work? Are they truly self-driving? And most importantly, are they safe? Let’s find out.
What Is An Autonomous Vehicle?
A broad definition of an autonomous vehicle would be a vehicle that has technology to sense driving conditions like pedestrians and traffic while also enabling the car to change speed or course without being controlled by a person.
Autonomous vehicles are also called self-driving vehicles.
How Does It Work?
Self-driving cars can sense what’s happening around them with three main features: radar, cameras, and laser-based light detection (LiDar).
These three features act like eyes for the car and they send data to sophisticated on-board processors and software, which tells the car how to react.
How Does It Work? (cont’d)
The sensors can detect a wide range of things, like curbs, pedestrians, and even lane markings.
Sensors on autonomous cars can be great safety features, but they aren’t foolproof. Certain weather conditions like snow or rain can diminish how effectively the car can sense lane markings or curbs.
SAE International’s Definition
While there are several cars on the market that have self-driving features, the world has yet to see a fully autonomous vehicle.
According to SAE International, one of the world’s leading organizations of automotive engineers, there are six different levels of autonomous driving, and only the final level is truly self-driving.
