You have likely heard a lot of talk recently about autonomous, or self-driving, vehicles. There can be many questions surrounding these cars, and in recent years experts have made significant strides to answer them. Although more advancement is required, these cars could have a major presence on the road in the near future.
What Are They?
As the name suggests, autonomous cars are vehicles that are capable of driving themselves without the use of a person. They utilize computer vision, GPS, radar, and optometry in order to sense where they are and where they are going. The reason why these vehicles are being developed and pursued so aggressively is because there are potentially numerous advantages they stand to provide society. For example, the issue of distracted driving is eliminated because the car does everything and the person can just sit back and relax. Additionally, traffic congestion could be reduced because the cars themselves would be better capable of managing flow.
Are Autonomous Cars Right Around the Corner?
It really depends on who you ask when determining how soon self-driving vehicles will become the norm. Some believe that it will only take a few years before the country starts seeing driverless cars on the road. Others believe we may never see them because there are so many hurdles that need to be crossed. For example, if a robotic car is involved in an accident that results in injury, who would ultimately be held responsible? This is the type of question scientists, automakers, and lawmakers need to reconcile before putting these vehicles on the road.
Numerous companies are hard at work trying to make autonomous vehicles a reality. It may only take a couple of decades to make a majority of cars driverless. Regardless, this form of transportation has the potential to shake up the automobile industry, and several changes in society can result. These changes could be good or bad depending on your viewpoint, so the world will just have to wait to see what the future holds.
There are various obstacles autonomous vehicles need to overcome before they become a common sight. In the meantime, there are plenty of high-quality cars that are more than capable of getting you from point A to point B. However, for the time being, you will need to drive them yourself. If one day self-driving cars become approved and popular, then we will have witnessed the crossing from science fiction to science fact.
