Many of us have imagined many times how nice it would be to just be able to sit back on a long road trip and not have to worry about driving. Of course this has always just been little more than a dream until recently. With an incredible increase in technology in the past couple of years, self driving autonomous cars are much more than just a dream. As of right now, there are still very few public uses of autonomous cars, but they are only going to increase in popularity. While they are growing steadily in popularity, many people still do not understand how they work.
One of the most important parts are ensuring the cars can tell what is happening around them. There are three main ways these self-driving cars use to check their surroundings to ensure safe use while driving. Some cars may utilize all three different technologies, while some may only use some of them. One of the cheapest way for the cars to view their surroundings is through the use of cameras. The next is through radars. Radars work in a way similar to they same way bats see in the dark, they send radio waves out, and are able to detect objects that the waves bounce off of. The final is through the uses of lasers. These lasers work in a similar way to the radars, but allow a greater range of view. Unfortunately, these lasers are still rather expensive and therefore a less viable option.
The cars are able to tell where they are going, and what route to follow through the use of a GPS and inertial navigation system. Through the use of these systems,the autonomous cars are able to create an internal map of the world, and are able to make decisions on which paths are the best way to take to get to the riders location.
This of course is just a quick overlook at how autonomous cars are capable of taking in information and deciding which roads to take. There is much more technology implemented into these vehicles to ensure they are safe and reliable. We are more than likely to see a continuous growth in autonomous cars in the future, so you may want to get use to the idea of them now!