Types of Autonomous Vehicles

There are mainly two landscapes on which the autonomous vehicles are based that are as follows:

• Traditional players- These are the industries and companies that are present in the business of automotive, which works on introducing the features that are autonomous in nature and mainly keep their focus on innovation in an incremental manner. The view of these carmakers is to have technologies that are not based on drivers and enhance the paradigm of driving at the same time so that the business model that is present can be preserved in a proper manner. The start of the driverless technologies helps in providing the organizations a long list of safety features that are priced at a premium so that it can be consistent with the new designs.
• Disruptive players- These are the industries and the companies that are not based on any present model of business that are present in the automotive industry. These players help in the process of innovation that will move to the autonomous vehicles directly.

The biggest players within the automobile industry such as Ford Motors, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Volkswagen and Audi have also introduced the models of self-driven cars according to the safety features such as the advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) so that the car can be capable of driving in its own. These car manufacturers have already announced that they would be launching their vehicles within the next two years and the vehicles can operate under various situations.

The automakers are adding features that are autonomous to the cars so that it can help them in increasing their monetary benefits. The features that are being added in the cars are as follows:

Automatic parking assistance- The parking assistance was first developed by Toyota, which has helped them in gaining a competitive advantage in the market. It allows the cars to be steered automatically to the parking areas that are tight so that the vehicle does not get damaged in the hands of the drivers. The parking assistance that has been developed by Ford can also be operated from the outside where the individual can operate it with the help of a remote that is attached with the key.

Adaptive cruise control technology-   The use of lasers and radars in the vehicles have been done in  the past seven years, which has helped the cars in maintaining a safe distance from the vehicles that are in front of them. Carmakers like BMW, Toyota, Volkswagen and Audi have been using this technology with the help of the technology known as Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, which allows the vehicles to access the exits and entries in the freeway. It also helps the vehicle in taking intelligent decisions with the help of additional censors that has been installed within the cars.

Automatic highway driving assistant- This technology is divided in to two parts, which consists of acceleration, deceleration and change of lanes in the highways. This technology is being upgraded in the system so that it can be more sustainable in the cars that will be manufactured in the future. This technology helps the vehicles in sensing the conditions so that it can take up better control and provide enough time for transition to the driver.

The use of lane changing assistance is done in the vehicle by mounting the system on the corner side of the rear bumpers. The first sensor helps in operating the system while the second sensor is operated by the driver. The combination of these two sensors will help in mapping the algorithm based on which the vehicle would be changing the lanes in the highways.

Features of Autonomous Vehicles

The mechanism of adaptive cruise control helps the vehicle in slowing down its operations and speeding up when the situation arises so that the vehicle can be in pace with the one that is before it. One of the radars are fixed in the front side or below of the bumper of the car so that it can help in measuring the distance of the car that is in front of it.

The communication between the vehicles will help in pushing the technology in self-driving cars to a further level. The cars are being able to talk between themselves so that it can help in alerting the drivers regarding the collisions that may take place with other cars. This kind of communication will happen with the help of a network that will be wireless so that the vehicles can be able to send messages to each other and pass along the important informations regarding the movement of the cars. This technology will be based on dedicated short-range communications (DSRC), which will help in communicating between the vehicles within a range of 300 meters.

One of the unique technologies that self-driving cars can include is incorporating the ultrasonic sensor in one of rear wheels. This will help in keeping track of the movements of the car as well as will alert the car about the obstacles in the rear. This is an added advantage for the self-driving car, as this will improve the efficiency of automatic reverse park assist. The ultrasonic sensor will be activated when the car is engaged in the reverse gear. The company manufacturing the self-driving car can include this unique and innovative technology as one of its features due to its distinctive advantages.

One of the major advantages of incorporating the ultrasonic sensor on the rear wheels is prevention of accidents. It has been seen that self-driving cars has resulted in accidents due to lack of appropriately working sensors. Due to lack of appropriate information to the technologies driving the car, the accidents occurred. Thus, installing ultrasonic sensors will help in informing the software running the car about the obstacles at the back thereby, preventing accidents. In addition to, while self-parking the car, the ultrasonic sensor will help in informing the car technology regarding the obstacles at the back thereby, preventing car damage and parking property damage.

The insurance industry that is almost based on $200 billion will fall due to the decrease in the rate of premiums, as there will be less number of accidents on the roads. The decrease in the road accidents by almost 90 percent will help in popularizing these cars and the liability claims will decline as a result of this. There will be a decline in cars that would be requiring drivers, as most of the customers will prefer in using the cars that will be driving on its own. The cost of these technologies is high in the current market but with the rise of competition it will lead to a fall in the prices of the vehicles as well. This will help the customers of different income backgrounds to purchase these cars as well.

Advantages of Self-Driving Cars

Since these cars will not be requiring any drivers, it will help the cars to become leisure rooms for the customers. The cars would provide more space to the customers and they do not have to look in the front always. The customers would be able to entertain themselves with the help of video screens in the long journeys, as they can catch a movie without even distracting the driver.

Most of the car accidents take place can be seen is due to the error that has been caused by the drivers. With the use of self-driving cars, there would be no dependence on the drivers, which will eventually lead to lessening of mistakes on the roads. The risk of drunk driving can also be eliminated, as it would not cause any harm in the society.

Most of the travelers will be able to enjoy the journey at night and can sleep in the nights as well. It will also help in the coordination of traffic in the urban areas, which will help in preventing the use of tail lamps during the busy hours that will also result in reducing the time of commuting in a drastic manner.

The arguments on the roads with respect to directions and navigations can be reduced, as most of the cars will be automatically adjusting according to the situation that is being demanded on the road, which will help in reducing the accidents on the roads as well. It will also help the commuters in travelling within the speed limits so that safer journey can be encouraged within the area.

The reduction of insurance premiums will also take place for the owners of the vehicle, as these vehicles will not cause any accidents on the roads. Travelling in an efficient manner will also help in reducing the consumption of fuel, which will help in reducing the costs as well. the commuters will also have a better experience with respect to travelling in these vehicles and the awareness of these cars will help in reducing the theft of cars as well.

The cost of these cars cannot be afforded by people of all sections in the society, as the cost will be more than $100,000. There will be a loss of jobs for the cab drivers, as the automatic vehicles will be able to navigate on its own.

The malfunction of the computer or any other glitches that may take place within the car can lead to crashing of the car, as the vehicle is totally dependent on the use of the modern technology. These vehicles have to rely solely on the information that is collected through the internet, which may create a concern for the private vehicles.

The hackers can get inside the software of the vehicle and control the operation of the cars, which may affect the security of the commuters and the vehicle as well. The cars have not been tested in severe weather conditions and there is a high possibility of the vehicles malfunctioning, as it may distort the cameras as well.

The road signs that are readable by the humans will pose a challenge for the robots, as they may not be able to read it. The skills and proficiency level of the drivers may get diminished, as they may not be able to drive the cars, which may hamper them in the later period. 

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