Is the Self-Driving Future Already Here? A Brief Guide to the Current Technologies and Their Implementation

As cars are developed with more digital components inside, a wider array of safety features is now available for consumers. Over the last decade, on-board computers were already taking care of lane-keeping assistance, automatic emergency braking, and various other autonomous functions. Logically, self-driving cars are the next step to automatic vehicle safety.

Let’s start with a definition — an autonomous (or self-driving) car is capable of sensing, analyzing, and adapting to its environment — and able to operate with no human involvement. A fully self-driving car will be able to go anywhere that a traditional car can and perform any function that a traditional driver could.

The Society of Automotive Engineers classifies vehicles into six levels of automation, with level 0 being fully manual and level 5 being fully autonomous. In the U.S. and Europe, Level 3 autonomous cars are the highest classification allowed on the road. However, legal research and testing is being done in preparation for letting Level 4 cars on regular roads. One of the most impressive milestones on the way to Level 4 is happening in the U.K. Level 4 car prototypes will join public roads in three main cities for the course of a year — they will operate on a 9 mile loop selected by Project Endeavor, with driving occurring both day and night.

However, even though we are making huge strides towards Level 4 autonomous car development and integration, we may still be years away from Level 5 vehicles. We’ll give you a brief overview of the hardware and software used in SD cars.

Technology Overview

Different companies have their own vision about which software and hardware should be used to facilitate self-driving capabilities.

Hardware

Let’s take a look at Tesla’s self-driving hardware. They use systems that rely upon cameras and radar. Tesla’s latest version of autopilot hardware (3.0) includes:

• 8 cameras that have a full range of view from all angles;
• 12 sonar sensors that have a 26-foot range;
• Continental radar that has a 558-foot range; and
• 2 custom, Tesla-designed computers.

At the same time, Volvo has their sights set on using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology. This high-powered laser sensor is very expensive, with most suppliers selling them for approximately $75,000. However, Volvo has struck a deal with a LiDAR maker, Luminar, which allows the installation of this technology to be more economically feasible.

So, what exactly is LiDAR? Essentially, it is a form of sonar that maps the distance of surrounding objects by analyzing pulsed laser waves. LiDAR facilitates highly accurate depth perception — vehicles that use this technology have a margin of error of only a few centimeters, and the object can be up to 60 meters away. Furthermore, LiDAR works excellently with 3D mapping, so that cars can easily navigate an environment they have visited before.

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