Self driving cars are on the horizon.
They’re getting nearer and nearer.
They’re coming right for us, Ahhhh!
Hello automatons, Jules here for DNews.
When Google unveiled its prototype for a self driving car in 2014, they kicked off a race.
A very slow, steady, cautious race to make cars that could function without any human
input.
Since Google’s cute little fully automated “auto” mobile debuted, the closest competition
they have is from electric car company Tesla, and the two manufacturers have taken radically
different approaches to how a self driving car should look, both inside and out.
Google’s line of thinking is people who are used to being in control might not like
a computer in charge of their destination and destiny.
So their car needs to be as friendly and approachable as possible.
That’s why they went out of their way to give it a koala face instead of making it
look like a normal car.
Tesla’s Model S on the other hand looks very car-ish.
There’s nothing to suggest it’s out of the ordinary because when Tesla launched the
electric Model S, they had no real brand identity yet.
Rather than making an outrageous statement to appeal to a niche market like other electric
car manufacturers, Tesla wanted one that would be broadly appealing from the get go.
The looks were conservative, but they hid some very advanced technology underneath.
That tech allowed Tesla to give the cars some self-driving capabilities overnight with just
a software update.
The update didn’t make the car fully autonomous though, it just took advantage of some existing
sensors to take over the car’s speed and make sure the driver doesn’t change lanes
when there’s another car in it’s blind spot.8 The Society of Automotive Engineers
(SAE) actually standardized a scale from 0 to 5 of how self driving a car is, and the
Model S in it’s current state is at level 2.
That means a driver still needs to take over in certain situations.
But Google turned the knob all the way to 11… or I guess, “5”.
That means the interior has no need for a steering wheel or pedals so google decided
to leave those parts out.10 But to have the car fully take over means it needs sensors
and a brain that can do everything a human can do, and that’s the final piece of the
design puzzle.
Google threw just about every sensor they could onto their little go-bot.
Like the Tesla, it uses optical cameras and radar, but unlike the Tesla there is an array
of 64 spinning lasers mounted on the roof.
This LIDAR is accurate up to a range of 100 meters and is the car’s main tool for “seeing”
and understanding its environment.
Even with all these sensors, there are challenges to overcome.
The car needs to travel in an area that’s been thoroughly mapped beforehand, so country
back roads would still require a steering wheel.
The LIDAR doesn’t work well in inclement weather, the car may not be ready to deal
with construction zones, and the sensors aren’t so great at picking up one very important
thing: people.
In case the car does run into a “people,” Google has patented a sticky skin under an
eggshell exterior.
If someone gets hit, the skin cracks, and the person is glued to the car instead of
being knocked to the concrete.
That’s just one possible solution though, and not necessarily the one Google will pursue.
Still, if Google can iron out the kinks, it’s possible the cars of the future will be adorable,
gumdrop hat wearing, steering wheel-less bubbles with people stuck on the outside.
It takes a lot of effort to keep your car clean.
Techron by Chevron’s patented Precision Clean Technology targets and removes deposits
left by lower tier gasolines.
It bonds with and breaks apart carbon deposits, more effectively than other additive technologies.
Techron gets into the deepest parts of the engine, where the most destructive deposits
built up, and sweeps them away.
Driverless cars may look very different, but can they ever really be as safe as a human
operated one?
Trace goes over the numbers here.
Would you be comfortable getting in a fully automated car, or do you still need that steering
wheel in front of you?Tell us down in the comments section!
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