The auto industry has produced a lot of darlings over the years. Battery-powered Teslas, self-driving cars, and other inventions have intrigued the public. The hype around these cars has even pushed companies to start bringing their versions of self-driving shuttles to the table.
Still, these self-driving shuttles have mainly been marketed for personal use. The potential of automated cars for mass commute isn’t exactly the talk of the media, even less so by the public. Self-driving cars have a long way to go before they are entirely safe to use for mass transport.
A long dream
Technology has molded, shaped, and changed modern life. Automation has taken over how we conduct daily activities, from stirrups to carriages and now self-driving shuttles.
In truth, a self-driving shuttle can reduce some burdens for drivers. It allows people to get things done in cars during their commute. In the long run, it could also transport people faster from point A to point B. That makes it easier to conduct commerce in faraway places.
Large carmakers even dream of a world where self-driving cars are the norm. The promise of driverless cars has GM and Ford developing their lines. Waymo, Zoox, and other autonomous shuttle companies are also working on their own versions of robotaxis to support autonomous public transportation.
However, driverless cars are still far from being perfect.
A long way forward
The financial and environmental costs of having self-driving cars for personal use are high. While they are convenient, they add to more pollution in the long run. They do nothing to help traffic in urban spaces either. And at this stage in production, they are too pricey for the average working person to afford. That autonomous shuttle market today still hinges on the people at the top.
Second, even though these cars can drive themselves, safety drivers still need to be present. Algorithms now simply can’t beat humans. When it comes to driving hazards and other unexpected road mishaps, it cannot mimic the reaction of a human driver. So even though hefty systems and super-smart software are installed in cars, human drivers still need to step in to help.
Carmakers have tried to solve this problem with an in-car remote control. Here, human operators from command centers will be on standby in case cars break down. While this helps, the solution still involves human intervention, which makes the problem only half-solved.
Clearly, there’s still a lot of research required for these cars to work.
Vision for the future
Not all hope is lost for self-driving cars, though. Like any other technology, intense research and testing can help make it safer in the long run. Considering where the technology was ten years ago, carmakers have made severe breakthroughs.
Most self-driving shuttles today work by using computer vision. Here, cars rely on smart camera systems to make sense of their movements. This is one of the reasons why cars can make simple decisions to stop, turn corners, and park. High-resolution images aid the car’s depth and perception, while infrared features make it safe to operate at night.
Combined, vision and camera systems are nothing new. Working on these systems seems to be the key to creating cars that require minimal human intervention. In fact, according to Achia Evans, CEO of Zoox, the future of self-driving cars relies on the growth of computer vision.
The good news is that self-driving shuttles are still new technology. There is still a long way to go regarding tolerating machine error, minimizing human supervision, and making it available for public use. Whatever the case, carmakers are one step closer to making their visions a reality.
