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How to Make Self-Driving Vehicles a Reality

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Submitted By jnew316
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Final Project

What it Would Take to Make Self-Driving Cars a Reality The future of transportation is going to be a miraculous thing, indeed. Vehicles will no longer be limited to accepting user input to function.
Your vehicles will incorporate wireless data, GPS data and other location technologies. All data will be gathered and processed in the vehicle’s master computer, and have limited decision making ability. This synergetic convergence of technologies will allow vehicles; from airliners, to trains and automobiles, to gather relevant data, plot a course and navigate itself from point A, to point B, utilizing minimal input from the “Driver”. You will be able to wake up in the morning, get into your vehicle and power it on. Upon initialization, your vehicle will establish a GPS connection and verify your current location. It will connect to the wireless network and download road conditions and traffic reports. You will input the location you wish to travel to, and your vehicle will do the rest. It will give you driving directions, for those who still like to have their hands on the wheel, and for those who don’t, external sensors (FLIR, RADAR, Night Vision, etc.) will allow the vehicle to remain safe and stable while in transit. The technology required to make a vehicle of this nature, is in existence today. The issue with the vehicle would be how to incorporate all of it into a single, affordable platform. Now, this being said… The vehicle is not the only part of this equation. The other major factor towards making this work is going to be infrastructure. The actual roads and network required to make the vehicles effective, will need to be upgraded. In a major way. There has to be a way to transmit data back and forth from the vehicle, to the road. The fact of the matter is, GPS is not always accurate and neither is cellular technology. Both of these systems can be adversely affected by things as simple as inclement weather. Something more direct would be required. Scott Brusaw (an electrical engineer) and his wife, Julie, are investigating a new concept in road construction. It has the potential to transform America’s highway system into one, massive power plant, using solar energy to provide power, not only to the road itself, but to too all the surrounding towns, cities and businesses that would be connected to it. The Brusaw’s, and their company Solar Roadways, have struggled for eight years (as of the publishing of this referenced article) and have built a parking lot made of this material in their Idaho lab.
It is self-cleaning and is capable of producing around 3600 watts of solar energy. Imagine if all the roads in the United States, or even the world, were made of this type of material. Our energy issues would be solved. Forever. Without having to be dependent upon nuclear power or other options that can create toxic by-products.
This material is fabricated in three layers: 1) Road Surface Layer – This layer is translucent and is strong enough to withstand vehicular traffic. It provides the grip to the tires of vehicles. It is not only weatherproof but also passes sunlight through to the solar collector cells embedded within. 2) Electronics Layer- This layer contains a microprocessor board and would control the heating element, lighting, communications and monitoring to create an intelligent highway system. 3) Base Plate Layer- The electronics layer collects solar energy from the sun and the base layer distributes power and data signals to all homes and businesses connected to the Solar Roadway.

This, in itself, is a brilliant concept. But what I find most interesting about it, is its potential for other capabilities. The second layer, for instance. The electronics layer, is equipped with microprocessors for communication and data distribution.
This be effective, not only for power distribution, but for implementing the aforementioned data relays and could be made to communicate with the smart vehicle, in real time.
Built in sensors could relay information back and forth and report road conditions to the vehicle, before it even reaches the problem area.
To be fair, there are a lot of debunkers decrying this tech for many reasons. I am not saying that this material is the answer to all of our problems, but I am fascinated by the promise that this tech does hold, if it can be made to work properly.
Imagine… A lightning strike severs a large piece of tree branch, or trunk, or a wind storm knocks a whole tree into the roadway. A car accident blocks a narrow road, a flood takes out a bridge…
Sensors in the road detect the impact, or other issues and report to a central network and then, this information is relayed to your vehicle, miles before you even reach it.
The video located on the website goes into much more detail, including how this invention would help to pave the way for self-driving vehicles. There is a five-minute promotional video that provides a lot of good information.
The Pro’s: Regardless of how you view the concept of artificial intelligence, the fact remains: “Garbage in, garbage out.” Meaning, that if you input flawed information, you will get flawed results. The computer will take the information directly from established systems, therefor, minimal garbage. Machines have faster reaction times, and can calculate probable outcomes much faster than a human. Given known variables within a certain threshold, the computer can make ‘life saving’ decisions to the driver’s benefit. The Con’s: The computer, like most animals, cannot override ‘instinct’. It will do what it is designed to do, programed to do, and nothing more. It is incapable of making ‘Out of the box’ decisions. There are some things that a computer will just not be able to do better than a human.

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