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On The Road, AI Eyes Protect Distracted Drivers

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These cars use lidar scan to send out flashes of light. These flashes bounce back to the car, and how long it takes for the flashes to bounce back shows what shape and object is, and how far away it is. Lidar even works in the rain and the dark. Ultrasonic sensors in the wheels to detect things on the ground such as curbs. All of this data is put through an algorithm which tells the car where to go , and how fast to go.

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What is an Autonomous Car? – How Self-Driving Cars Work | Synopsys

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Discover how autonomous cars sense their environment and operate without human intervention, offering a glimpse into the future of self-driving technology.

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NHTSA demonstrates its dedication to saving lives on our nation's roads and highways through its approach to the safe development, testing, and deployment of new and advanced vehicle technologies that have enormous potential for improving safety and mobility for all Americans.

NHTSA supports the Safe System Approach, a data-driven, holistic, and equitable method to roadway safety that fully integrates the needs of all users. As part of this approach, vehicle safety technologies offer unique opportunities to reduce traffic deaths, injuries, and harm.

In 2021, NHTSA issued a Standing General Order that requires manufacturers and operators of automated driving systems and SAE Level 2 advanced driver assistance systems equipped vehicles to report crashes to the agency.

In 2020, NHTSA launched Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing. As part of the AV TEST initiative, states and companies can voluntarily submit information about testing of automated driving systems to NHTSA, and the public can view the information using NHTSA's interactive tool.

In September 2016, NHTSA and the U.S. Department of Transportation issued the Federal Automated Vehicles Policy, which sets forth a proactive approach to providing safety assurance and facilitating innovation. Building on that policy and incorporating feedback received through public comments, stakeholder meetings, and Congressional hearings the agency issued Automated Driving Systems: A Vision for Safety.

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Get info on automated driving systems, also referred to as automated vehicles and "self-driving" cars, and learn about their safety potential.

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Two experts weigh in on the pros and cons of driverless cars.

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How to teach kids about self driving cars - Teach Kids Robotics

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As more and more self driving cars come to market from companies such as Waymo, Cruise, Tesla and more, it will be important for children to understand how these cars work and why they are safe. This guide provides a high level overview mapping complex concepts to easy to understand…

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Parents Put Trust in Waymo’s Self-Driving Cars for Safer School Runs

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Notes on the News: CASMI Director Kristian Hammond explains why parents are trusting Waymo’s self-driving cars to take their kids to school.

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Testing Self-Driving Cars in the Real World

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Driverless cars are being tested in private and public spaces.

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Self driving cars uses lidar to scan and see things. And it can scan things in less than a second in any weather.

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How do self-driving cars “see”? - Sajan Saini

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I watched the video, and it tells you about how these cars are good for us humans to use, because it eliminates human error and makes better decisions than the ones humans actually make. Of course, there will still be situations when saving a crash from happening is impossible, so this AI car will make the most responsible decision.

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The ethical dilemma of self-driving cars - Patrick Lin

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Books on Epic about Self-Driving Cars

Use class code: gci9482 to access.

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Self-Driving Cars Book Collection on Epic

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View the Self-Driving Cars collection on Epic plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids.

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A self-driving car can also be known as a autonomous car. The first self-driving car was built in 1977 at a Japan engineering laboratory. Self-driving cars use sensors like, cameras, radars, and ultrasound/sonar to find their way around without crashing. A 2006 survey showed that 49% of people would be comfortable with a self-driving car.

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A self-driving car, also known as an autonomous car, driver-less car, or robotic car ( robo-car), is a car that is capable of traveling without human input. Self-driving cars use sensors to perceive their surroundings, such as optical and thermographic cameras, radar, lidar, ultrasound/ sonar, GPS, odometry and inertial measurement units. Control systems interpret sensory information to create a three-dimensional model of the vehicle's surroundings. Based on the model, the car then identifies an appropriate navigation path and strategies for managing traffic controls (stop signs, etc.) and obstacles.

PC Magazine defines a self-driving car as "a computer-controlled car that drives itself". The Union of Concerned Scientists states that self-driving cars are "cars or trucks in which human drivers are never required to take control to safely operate the vehicle. Also known as autonomous or "driver-less" cars, they combine sensors and software to control, navigate, and drive the vehicle."

The British Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 law defines a vehicle as "driving itself" if the vehicle "is operating in a mode in which it is not being controlled, and does not need to be monitored, by an individual".

Another British definition assumes: "Self-driving vehicles are vehicles that can safely and lawfully drive themselves."

Experiments have been conducted on automated driving systems (ADS) since at least the 1920s; trials began in the 1950s. The first semi-automated car was developed in 1977, by Japan's Tsukuba Mechanical Engineering Laboratory, which required specially marked streets that were interpreted by two cameras on the vehicle and an analog computer. The vehicle reached speeds up to 30 kilometres per hour (19 mph) with the support of an elevated rail.

A landmark autonomous car appeared in the 1980s. In recent years, such automakers as Honda, Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, and others have been working on new models of autonomous cars.

As of 2021, self-driving cars have been used in controlled envirnoments more and more. An example of this might be buses that transfer passengers between airport terminals.

Types of self-driving cars

Autonomy in vehicles is often divided into six levels, according to a system developed by SAE International (SAE J3016). The SAE levels can be roughly understood as Level 0 - no automation; Level 1 - hands on/shared control; Level 2 - hands off; Level 3 - eyes off; Level 4 - mind off, and Level 5 - steering wheel optional.

Applications

Robotaxi is supposed to be operated by taxi company or ridesharing company. Through the massive investments by Big Tech companies in the mid-2010s, research and development of robotaxi became active in the U.S.

Self-driving shuttle and bus
Self-driving shuttle is used mainly in cities. Through the European Union funded "CityMobil2" project in the mid-2010s, research and development of self-driving shuttle became active in Europe. Continuously, under the funding programme Horizon 2020, "Avenue" project was conducted from 2018 to 2022 in four cities ( Geneva, Lyon, Copenhagen and Luxembourg).
Self-driving truck and van

Companies such as Otto and Starsky Robotics have focused on autonomous trucks. Automation of trucks is important, not only due to the improved safety aspects of these very heavy vehicles, but also due to the ability of fuel savings through platooning. Autonomous vans are being developed for use by online grocers such as Ocado.

Autonomous micro-mobility
Research has indicated that goods distribution on the macro (urban distribution) and micro level (last mile delivery) could be made more efficient with the use of autonomous vehicles thanks to the possibility of smaller vehicle sizes. Also, simulation studies in MIT Media Lab indicate that ultra-lightweight systems can become more helping to remove cars from our cities by applying autonomous driving technologies.

In November 2022, Honda unveiled the "Honda CI Micro-mobility" machines and their core technologies. Honda starts demonstration testing using "Honda CI Micro-mobility" machines, "CiKoMa" and "WaPOCH", at two locations in Jōsō City of Ibaraki Prefecture.

Autonomous work vehicle
In 2021, Honda and Black & Veatch have successfully tested their second generation prototype Autonomous Work Vehicle (AWV) at a Black & Veatch construction site in New Mexico.

In December 2022, eve autonomy in Japan, a company backed by Yamaha Motor and TIER IV, launched the all-in-one autonomous transportation commercial service "eve auto" with EV work vehicle as the first SAE Level 4 service in Japan at nine sites, including Yamaha Motor's three factories, Prime Polymer's Anesaki Works, Panasonic's cold chain factory in the Oizumi area, Fuji Electric's Suzuka factory, Japan Logistic Systems Corp.'s Ageo Center, and ENEOS Corp.'s Negishi refinery.

Expectations and concerns

Once the technology matures, autonomous vehicles are predicted to impact the automotive industry, health, welfare, urban planning, traffic, insurance, labor market, and other fields. Their regulation is becoming an increasingly important issue.

Mass production and use of self-driving cars can lead to numerous problems. How the car would deal with potentially dangerous situations and anomalies? How many people currently employed as drivers would become unemployed? Will the car's AI be able to understand verbal sounds, gestures and non-verbal cues by police, other drivers or pedestrians correctly? In addition, cyberattacks could also be a potential threat to autonomous driving in the future.

Privacy-related issues also arise as automated cars are interconnected. This maked them just another mobile device that can gather any information about an individual, like tracking of the routes taken, voice recording, video recording, preferences in media that is consumed in the car, behavioral patterns, etc.

Besides, a nation's road network must be upgraded in order to accommodate autonomous cars. New standards, approaches and legislation are yet to be created.

The Trolley Problem

This is moral dilemma that a software engineer or car manufacturer might face in programming the operating software of a self-driving vehicle.

The situation is as follows. An autonomous vehicle is driving with passengers when suddenly a person appears in its way and the car has to choose between one of two options, either to run the person over or to avoid hitting the person by swerving into a wall, killing the passengers. Which option is more preferable?

According to research, people agree to the idea that self-driving cars should be programmed to stick to the option that generates the least harm and minimizes driving casualties. However, those who would like to buy such a vehicle for themselves, they prefer to ride in vehicles that prioritize the lives of people inside the vehicle at all costs. This presents a paradox.

Public opinion surveys

In a 2011 online survey of 2,006 US and UK consumers by Accenture, 49% said they would be comfortable using a "driverless car".

In 2019, results from two opinion surveys of 54 and 187 US adults respectively were published. Results showed that users were less accepting of high autonomy levels and displayed significantly lower intention to use highly autonomous vehicles. Additionally, partial autonomy (regardless of level) was perceived as requiring uniformly higher driver engagement (usage of hands, feet and eyes) than full autonomy.

In 2022, research by safety charity Lloyd's Register Foundation uncovered that only a quarter (27%) of the world's population would feel safe in self-driving cars.

Images for kids

Tesla Autopilot is classified as an SAE Level 2 system.

Autonomous delivery vehicles stuck in one place by attempting to avoid one another

Google's in-house automated car

In Spanish: Vehículo autónomo para niños

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All about the history of self driving cars. Facts from 1920s- 2020

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Learn History of self-driving cars facts for kids

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Learn History of self-driving cars facts for kids

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These cars use cameras and data to identify street signs and do what they say, or notify the driver. They use these cameras to know where to brake, and where to accelerate.

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Self-driving cars, also called autonomous vehicles or driverless cars, are cars and trucks that can understand and navigate the environment with little to no help from a human driver. While consumers cannot yet buy a car that fully drives itself (Level 4 or 5 automation), the technology is under development and improving quickly. The self-driving cars being worked on today have many different sensors and cameras to capture information about the world and rely on computer vision, machine learning, and many other programs to interpret and react to that information. The goal is to create cars that are safe, perhaps even safer than human drivers, and efficient.

There are five different levels of automation:

Level 0: No automation; a human does all the driving.

Level 1: An advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) helps a human driver by either steering or braking/accelerating in simple situations like when using adaptive cruise control.

Level 2: An ADAS does a lot of the steering and braking/accelerating, but a human driver needs to be ready to take over at any moment.

Level 3: An automated driving system (ADS) is capable enough of driving the car in limited situations that a human driver can safely do other tasks (like text or watch a movie) until the car signals that the human driver should take over.

Level 4: An ADS controls all of the driving, and no driver is needed, but the car can only operate in a limited geographical area. The self-driving car acts like a robotic taxi.

Level 5: No human driver is needed, and the ADS can safely operate the driverless car regardless of location, weather, and time of day.

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Self-Driving Cars STEM Activities for Kids

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Self-driving cars, also called autonomous vehicles or driverless cars, are cars and trucks that can understand and navigate the environment with little to no help from a human driver. While consumers cannot yet buy a car that fully drives itself (Level 4 or 5 automation), the technology is under development and improving quickly.

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This video shows you the new experiment of self driving cars. Google is testing their new self driving cars, and they have invited some people to help test them out. All the people loved them, and the car was simply a button you would press to start it. Then, the car would start up and go on the test drive track.