Communications of the ACM
Driverless Cars Just Around the Corner
University of Missouri-Kansas City professor Vijay Kumar envisions "a fully automatic system . . . in which the driver would not have any role to play."
Credit: The Kansas City Start
Researchers worldwide are developing technologies that enable cars to drive themselves. Experts say that recent advances in sensors, global positioning systems, electronic steering, and computerized braking are helping make driverless cars a reality. Automotive systems have advanced to the point that current driverless projects include an Italy-to-China trek and a high-speed run up Pikes Peak in Colorado.
Semi-autonomous systems such as cruise control and anti-lock breaks have been available for years, and cars that park themselves are rapidly becoming mainstream. BMW offers a system that can fully stop a car in slow traffic and speed it up again when the car in front of it starts moving again. "You can buy a car today that I'd like to say is 90 percent driverless," says Cato Institute's Randal O'Toole.
Recently, two pairs of driverless electric-engine vans left Milan, Italy, on an 8,000-mile trip, hoping to arrive in Shanghai, China, by the end of October. Meanwhile, Stanford University professor Chris Gerdes is testing an autonomous Audi for a 14,000-foot run up Pike's Peak.
From The Kansas City Star
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