What we know so far about driverless cars

There has been a lot of talk recently about driverless cars, and we are excited to hear about them! Here’s a few things we know about them so far…

How will they work?

Numerous brands are making driverless cars such as Ford and Google, so we are sure that the technology will have small variations. However, self-driving cars will have the technology to navigate themselves and be aware of their surroundings.

This will mean that every vehicle will be fitted with a inertial and GPS navigation system with sensors such as radar and video. The sensors will allow the vehicle to create a 3D image of their environment. The technology could also mean that the car can make decisions such as working out the best route to the chosen destination. Additionally, it will be able to identify movement such as pedestrians, with the technology it will feed a command to the braking, leading the vehicle to stop.

How safe are the vehicles?

Driverless cars still have some way to go before they are deemed road safe. However, when they are on the roads they will help with any issues caused by human error.

The issues they currently face is the risk of hacking the vehicle and the way in which different weather conditions could affect the sensors.

Could they reduce traffic?

Driverless cars could reduce traffic because their sensors would allow them to get closer to other cars with a reduced risk of collision. Additionally, there would be less braking and accelerating like there is with human drivers, they would help congestion to move smoothly.

When will they be in the UK?

Around London, many driverless cars are currently being tested in order to assess their safety. The UK government has recently handed just under £13 million to an Artificial intelligence firm to develop driverless car systems. The firm has plans to allow the public to order a driverless car via a smartphone app by 2019.

Regardless of what you think of driverless cars, they are just around the corner and we are excited for the new challenges they may bring to mechanics!