In this article, we talk about something a little different from what we have seen before, Google Cars. More generally, we talk about self-driving cars. This is different from what has been done before because in our previous examples we talked about doing one thing which, was more or less managed by one algorithm using Machine Learning. Here, such a car would be an agglomeration of new technologies so that it would have all that it needs to become self-driving.
The declared objective of a self-driving car is to reduce accidents, which is why they did not stop at developing a car that only assists drivers, they want the human to stop taking part in driving. Of course, for the tests they ran, the car had a steering wheel to allow a human to take over in case of a problem but the final design of the car will not give such a possibility. This kind of car will also enable people who are physically disabled and cannot drive to use again a car without the help of anyone. In this video, they took a nearly blind man to make a tour in their car; he was the one sitting behind de steering wheel.
How does it work? I will not go into details, firstly because Google indeed has not unveiled all the information about the functioning of their car and secondly because that might become a bit complicated for everyone - including me - to explain it. So quickly, if you have not seen a self-driving car yet, it has a device turning on its roof. This device in fact sends laser beam in order to generate a detailed 3D map of its environment. We can see the result in the picture below where every box represents an obstacle for the car.
Google's self-driving car using its laser-generated maps of the conditions around it to guide its path |
We add to these laser beams several camera so that the car can detect a red light or a stop sign. Then we add some more radar devices so that the car can move and estimate with precision at what distance an obstacle is approaching. Then you mix all of this up with an algorithm to determine the driving behavior and we get a self-driving car!
Back in 2011, the technology was already doing amazing things as this TED talk shows but in 2015 the track record is even better. The technology is maturing and now the car can handle most of driving situations such as traffic zone lane closures or even a bike running a red light. The 23 actual self-driving test cars were involved in only 12 minor accidents on public roads and in these accidents, the self-driving cars were not at fault or it was being driven manually .
Self-driving cars are getting ready and their release for the public is planned for 2020. There are still lots of things to do and especially in terms of legislation. In the USA, four states have already allowed driverless cars so the major part of the world is still not prepared for the introduction of self-driving cars. Let us hope it will be done in time!