In the past few years automotive sector has gone through several innovation and has come out with improved and technologically advance range of vehicles. The automotive industry is now on the verge of achieving something substantial that is causing huge rage in the automotive industry as well as among the consumers. The major technology breakthrough in the sector is the concept of autonomous car that is currently in its testing phase and is expected to hit the road by the year 2020. The self driving technology will allow the car to have control whereas the person inside the car can enjoy the ride. The car has the capability of sensing its environment and navigate without human intervention.
Self driving technology of the autonomous cars will allow you to hand over the control to the vehicle and let you enjoy the ride. The autonomous car senses its surroundings with the help of techniques like Light Detection and Ranging or LIDAR, a technology similar to radar in which the sensor monitors up to a certain range around the car and creates a dynamic 3-D map of the car’s current environment. Besides, the car is also equipped with other advance system like GPS, odometry and computer to detect the surrounding and make intelligent decisions about the car’s direction and speed. The advanced control systems of the autonomous cars analyze sensor data and distinguish between different cars plying on the road that further proves detrimental in selecting a path for the desired destination.
Autonomous cars combine sensors and artificial intelligence software to control, navigate and drive the vehicle. Though in its infancy, the self-driving technology has the potential to radically transform the transportation system. Most of the self-driving cars have wide array of sensors like radar to create and maintain an internal map of their surroundings. The software installed in the vehicle then processes the inputs, develop a path and sends instructions to the vehicle’s actuators that control accelerating, braking and steering. The software also help in following traffic rules and navigate obstacles with hard-coded rules, obstacle avoidance algorithms, predictive modeling and smart object discrimination.
Radar sensors in the front and rear bumpers calculate distances to obstacles and monitor the position of nearby vehicles whereas video cameras detect traffic lights, read road signs and keep track of other vehicles playing on the road while also looking out for the pedestrians and other obstacles. Lidar sensors detect road edges and identify lane marking by bouncing pulses of light off the car’s surroundings. Ultrasonic sensors in the wheels detect the position of curbs and other vehicles when parking. Al the sensors of the car come equipped with artificial intelligence software and the central computer analyses data from various sensors to manipulate steering, acceleration and braking.
