Self-Driving cars making headway- A step into the future

Introduction:

For decades, engineers have experimented with self-driving automobile prototypes. The concept is simple: equip a car with cameras that can track all of the things in its immediate vicinity and have the car respond if it is going to drive into one. Teach in-car computers the laws of the road before releasing them to find their own way to their destination. 

This straightforward summary conceals a great deal of intricacy. Driving is one of the more difficult tasks that humans engage in on a regular basis. Following a set of rules isn’t enough to drive like a person, because humans do things like establish eye contact with other drivers to affirm who has the right of way, respond to weather conditions, and make other decisions that are difficult to codify in rigid rules.

With automated driving systems on pace to improve much more, it’s logical to believe that the technology will be a tremendous boon for organisations that are well-positioned to benefit. According to Business Insider Intelligence, by 2020, there will be around 10 million automobiles on the road with automatic navigation technology. According to McKinsey, around 15% of autos sold in 2030 will be completely driverless. Intel predicts that by 2050, the worldwide market for driverless vehicles, or “the passenger economy,” would be worth more than $7 trillion per year. With an expected 300 million autonomous vehicles on the road in 2050, Morgan Stanley estimates that providing service to driverless vehicles would be a $200 billion annual market for telecom companies.

Before the year 2000, the road to self-driving automobiles was paved with incremental automation technologies for safety and convenience, such as cruise control and antilock brakes. Advanced safety systems, such as electronic stability control, blind-spot recognition, and collision and lane change alerts, were available in automobiles after the century. Sophisticated driver assistance features like as rearview video cameras, automated emergency braking, and lane-centring assistance debuted between 2010 and 2016. Automobile manufacturers have attained Level 4 of autonomous driving technology as of 2019. Before completely autonomous cars may be purchased and operated on public roads in the United States, manufacturers must cross a number of technology hurdles and solve a number of critical challenges. Even though Level 4 autonomous vehicles are not ready for public usage, they are employed in various ways.

The need for Self-driving vehicles:

• Improved safety would be the most often acknowledged advantage. In the United Kingdom alone, there were 1,770 traffic deaths reported last year, with over 26,000 people seriously wounded. The statistics in the United States are considerably worse, with 36,750 pedestrian and biker deaths. With human error accounting for the bulk of accidents, even a 90% adoption rate of self-driving cars might result in the annual saving of 22,000 lives.

•  Another benefit would be that it would provide transportation to persons who have previously been denied it: children, the disabled, and the elderly could theoretically travel without a driver, expanding accessibility.

• Up to 60% of hazardous pollutants can be reduced by self-driving automobiles. Furthermore, these automobiles can be designed to optimise potential reductions, which is fantastic news for environmentalists and everyone who wants to have the least possible influence on Mother Nature.

Indian Outlook:

When it comes to the deployment of self-driving cars, India cannot afford to turn a blind eye. On the one hand, given that urban Indians spend 1.5 hours more each day in traffic than their Asian neighbours, it has the potential to revolutionize the way we happen to be living, aiming to make our roads safer, reducing traffic congestion, and improving efficiency. They could, on the other hand also be overburdened under the country’s most congested traffic circumstances, and they may fail to function correctly in the absence of the infrastructure changes required to normalise their presence. While autonomous vehicles would also allow users to make better use of their travel time instead of squandering it on driving. They have the potential to save lives by minimising human errors, which are the major cause of traffic collisions. Driverless cars are also a terrific method for people who are physically unable to drive themselves to go about. While autonomous vehicles may take longer to reach Indian roads, self-driving tractors and trucks have already taken the first step. Companies like Escorts, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Flux Auto are intending to debut them soon.

Several Indian start-ups are developing AV solutions for trucks, minibuses, and vehicles, with the goal of exporting to other nations in certain circumstances. Infosys claimed a few years ago that it had created a “driverless” cart at its Mysuru centre in southern India. India’s ingenuity and technology are its greatest assets. It has the potential to become the world’s top supplier of autonomous vehic  le technology and to nurture a whole “SV for AV” — a Silicon Valley for Autonomous Vehicles. The objective is to develop unique and niche uses for AVs, such as in-plant logistics, on-campus movement, and public transportation, where they may bring value, safety, and efficiency.

It is a bit risky to deploy autonomous automobiles in a labor-intensive country like India, where the percentage of the working population, especially unskilled labour, is large. But it shouldn’t stop us from taking use of cutting-edge technology. Furthermore, autonomous cars are now only effective on highways and face difficulties on regular routes. As a result, it is preferable to allow autonomous cars in India once the technology has matured.

Conclusion:

It’s practically hard to predict whether fully autonomous vehicles will eventually replace human-driven automobiles. However, technology has advanced tremendously in recent years, such as the Budweiser driverless truck that delivered beer in Colorado in 2016, and the rate of technical growth has not slowed since the Renaissance, so it’s reasonable to predict we’ll see more autonomous cars in the future.