- No-hands driving
The self-driving cars we have seen so far that have manifested extraordinary abilities are those that have entertained us in sci-fi and fantasy movies. In the real word, autonomous cars still belong to the future car technology. Although not yet a reality, it is considered a possibility in the near future.
In simple terms, a self-driving car operates without the need of having humans perform any mechanical operation to make it function like human-driven cars. It is therefore expected to have the intelligence of navigating on its own through the eyes of a computer. Its capabilities for safe transporting largely depends on sensory inputs which makes them able to navigate safely through different environments.
The first visual idea of an autonomous car was publicized during an exhibit in 1939 sponsored by General Motors. The basic essence of such a car was one which was embedded electric cars on roadways, the control of which relies on radio. There are several technologies being eyed to make the autonomous car option a reality including laser radar, autonomous robotic control, and saccadic computer vision, among others.
Several car manufacturers such as BMW, General Motors, Audi, Volvo, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and Cadillac are racing against time and each other to produce the very first fully-functional self-driven car. The earliest projections are being offered by the 2013 Audi A8 and the Mercedes-Benz 2013 S-Class. The most realistic projection however is sometime 2017 onwards for the semi-autonomous cars while a fully autonomous one may just have to wait for several more years approxiately in 2025.
Self-driving cars show much promise for realization because many prototypes are now being continuously tested using low speed. This is expected to improve any time soon as manufacturers try to find ways to make the self-driving car a viable option. Shops like MyNRMA.com.au makes the wait a lot easier since they offer exceptional car products and services to make existing cars exciting.
Image: slate.com