About sixty years ago, American writer Isaac Asimov published a short story about a self-driving car capable of fully controlling its trajectory and movement in the streets without human intervention, and what was considered at that time seems to be a form of imagination has become a reality in some US states.
The American company Google is the most seeking to complete its project of self-driving cars, as it conducted live street tests for driverless cars manufactured by famous companies such as Lexus (a division of Toyota Corporation of Japan) specialized in the manufacture of luxury cars.
It also revealed the middle of this year its own design for its own car that will transport passengers without the presence of a steering wheel or a throttle, and the car can accommodate only two passengers, and the car is entirely driven by a computer that depends on a variety of sensors installed on the vehicle.
In 2013, four US states - Nevada, Florida, California and Michigan - passed laws authorizing the use of self-driving cars. Several European cities in Belgium, France, Italy and the United Kingdom are also planning to operate transportation systems for this type of vehicle.
In addition to Google, the famous car manufacturers nowadays provide models capable of carrying out some tasks by themselves, which is an introduction to the development of fully self-driving cars in the future, where Mercedes-Benz produces a car from the "S Class" series, alerting the driver to It deviates from its course or when it approaches the vehicle in front of it, and in the event that the driver does not respond to these alerts, the car deflects the wheels and returns to the stable position, or applies the brakes automatically.
The CEO of the famous Japanese automaker Nissan Motor, Carlos Ghosn, also promised that by 2020 his company would provide a full series of self-driving cars.
Most car manufacturers today are experiencing models of a self-driving car, believing that the availability of such cars will inevitably contribute to reducing accident rates, in addition to providing more comfort and luxury for the human being.
Reducing deaths
And many workers working on the development of self-driving cars indicate that it will be a successful solution to reduce the percentage of deaths due to traffic accidents, which is one of the largest causes of death around the world, where about 1.2 million people lose their lives annually as a result of those accidents, according to the World Health Organization.
Larry Burns, a professor of engineering at the University of Michigan, who also works as a Google consultant, predicted that autonomous cars could reach roads by 2017, but the problem is - as he put it - that the world will not be ready to receive them due to legal and regulatory problems Or, people refuse to accept the idea that the vehicle should be transported without a driver.
"Burns" likened autonomous cars to the vaccine that would save the lives of many, and stressed the need to reach as many people as possible to provide protection for them.
Some engineers believe that self-driving cars are five times safer than cars that a person drives, as Burns expressed this idea by saying that such cars do not drink drunk, do not sleep, and do not get distracted as humans, and that their sensors can distinguish the surrounding bodies From long distances.
One of the obstacles facing the road of self-driving cars is that most of the models that are being developed need a period in which they are trained in sudden and unusual matters that you may encounter while walking in the streets, and this training process requires running cars in the streets and between traditional cars, as some Sudden things that may arise in the face of a self-driving car cannot be simulated in development laboratories.
"Burns" believes that most governments will refuse to allow these cars to walk in the streets next to traditional cars for the purpose of training them, but he hopes that if that obstacle is overcome and self-driving cars prove their efficiency, then all countries around the world will allow them, and therefore the lives of many will be safe.
Source: Arab Technical News Portal
