Google recently released that their self-driving cars were involved in 11 minor crashes over the past six years. Besides that, the first deadly accidents already occurred with the self-driving cars of Tesla being on the road these days. Which has raised questions about when such autonomous vehicles will be ready for the real world. “If you want to get to the level where you could put the elementary school kid into the car and it would take the kid to school with no parent there, or the one that’s going to take a blind person to their medical appointment, that’s many decades away,” Shladover told Live Science. Agree? Beneath a couple of concerns I think have to be taking into account before putting those cars on the roads. Maybe you already have a solution in mind?
Let’s start with something you would not think of right away: pot holes; from a dark patch in the road to an oil spot. All the radars these self-driving cars could scan almost everything happening on the surface, but not (yet) discover these nasty holes which lie below the road surface and could be dangerous.
The second problem could be the digital mapping. The self-driving cars are driving on roads that all have highly detailed (3d) maps and combine these with the readings of their sensors to find their way. We have to keep in mind that only a few roads in the world are mapped like these and what about constructions or detours?
And what to think about unpredictable humans? Something technology nowadays can’t control. Vehicles would have to deal with them while passing cars where it is not allowed or driving the wrong direction on a one-way street.
Something else that is quite unpredictable: the weather. Falling snow or rain can make it difficult for driverless cars to stay in their lane when there is a coating of snow. It could also make it difficult for sensors to identify important obstacles.
Last but not least: ethics. This is one of the biggest issues that companies face working with these self-driving cars. How do you decide with algorithms which live is worth the most in a split second?
Would like to know your thoughts about this article.