Cars Full Automation? Self-driving cars present & future?

However, what changes the autonomous cars would bring to the society, could be understood with many aspects, some are covered here. But that only if we are able to develop a fully automated car in the future;

The Future of Driverless Cars, or AI driven automobile? With the advancement of artificial intelligence, the automobile sector has seen rising interest and development in the autonomous or self-driven cars.

AI driven automobiles would be a remarkable achievement in the modern technology field. Let's dive deep into the topic;

Driverless cars, also known as autonomous or self-driving vehicles, are being hailed as one of the most significant innovations of our time.

These vehicles are equipped with sensors, cameras, artificial intelligence (AI), and software, allowing them to navigate roads without human intervention.

But what can we expect from driverless cars over the next decade and beyond? Let’s explore:

Currently, the autonomous cars are under testing and development and the actual adoption or version of a fully autonomous car remain to be seen.

The technology in its early stages, most automobile companies have just managed to attain level 2 of automation, that too after decades of development and testing.

This leaves us with a very long and difficult stages ahead and development time of decades.

However, what changes the autonomous cars would bring to the society, could be understood with many aspects, some are covered here. But that only if we are able to develop a fully automated car in the future;

Increased Safety:

One of the biggest advantages of driverless cars is the potential to reduce traffic accidents, as they do not suffer from human errors like fatigue.

• As technology improves, these vehicles will become even safer.

Traffic issue:

The traffic jams would be less likely with no human errors. Automated cars would be able to drive without causing massive traffics. Things like route selection, calculation of speed, distance and destination route, would be pre-calculated by self-driving cars, resulting in no traffic conjunctions.

Though it is yet to be seen as if the smart AI powered vehicles would be that beneficial or not in avoiding massive traffic issues.

A Shift in Transportation:

The way we travel could change drastically. In the future, driverless taxis and buses could become commonplace, eliminating the need for personal car ownership. Such services are already being tested in China with somewhat automated cars, buses, etc.

New Job Opportunities:

While some jobs, such as taxi and truck driving, may become obsolete, driverless cars will create new employment opportunities in fields like car maintenance, software development, and data analysis.

New Laws As driverless cars become more common:

Governments will introduce new laws addressing safety, insurance, new regulations to ensure their safe use, and liability to regulate automated cars.

Building Trust:

One of the key challenges would be to gain trust of people, currently people are more hesitant to trust driverless cars. However, as companies continue to improve the technology and raise awareness, public confidence in these vehicles will grow.

Impact on Society:

Driverless cars will offer greater freedom to vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, disabled, and children, who may otherwise rely on others for transportation.

Current state of auto-driven vehicles.

Global Adoption: Over the next 10 years, the use of somewhat autonomous cars (with level 3 of automation achieved) is expected to spread in more and more developed and developing countries, starting with developed countries like the U.S. and many European countries. Which eventually would spread to other countries as well.

India can expect such technological advancement only after major infrastructure change and concrete rules and regulations implemented in the transportation sector.

Self-driven cars would not be arriving to India for at least a decade or so, as the actual developed cars aren't capable to take on to the current infrastructure and traffic challenges present in India. Even if some prototypes arrive, they would be limited to specific zones and area designated.

Challenges: While the future of autonomous driving looks promising, it is important to note that the most advanced developed autonomous cars are from Tesla, the billionaire Elon Musk is behind the Tesla automobile company.

The level two self-driven cars classification according to the SAE International standard means, that the driver must be prepared to take over control at any time.

While these cars can assist with steering, braking, and acceleration, they do not fully drive themselves. Hyundai's autonomous test cars are also likely at Level 2 or below.

Simply putting, the cars aren't fully capable to take on to the roads without a human watch.

The total level of achieving fully autonomous status are 5 and all top car brands have managed to reach up to 2 and tests for level 3 are currently going on. This leaves the “fully driverless cars on the road dream”, a dream and not a reality for the time being.

The 5 levels of driving automation defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International:

Level 0: No Automation: The driver is responsible for all driving tasks.

Level 1: Driver Assistance: The vehicle can assist with steering or braking, but the driver must be in control at all times.

Level 2: Partial Automation: The vehicle can control steering, braking, and acceleration in certain conditions, but the driver must be ready to take over at any time.

Level 3: Conditional Automation: The vehicle can handle all aspects of driving in certain conditions, but the driver must be ready to take over if necessary.

Level 4: High Automation: The vehicle can handle all aspects of driving in a defined area, but the driver may need to take over in certain situations.

Level 5: Full Automation: The vehicle can handle all aspects of driving in all conditions, with no human intervention required.

Despite remaining challenges, the recent progress of ChatGPT, Google Bard, and numerous other multi-billion-dollar artificial intelligence projects in the Bay Area has sparked hopes for significant progress in achieving the required levels of self-driving vehicles. The auto driven cars to be a part of day to day life in the next decade or two, is highly unlikely, with the major challenges ahead.

Conclusion:

Driverless cars are a work in progress currently and cars with level 2 automation are already on the road such as Tesla's Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X.