Ah, let's start a new week with an exciting exploration. Let's light the way to the world of tomorrow's vehicles, these marvels of technology where humans make way for R2D2.
An autonomous vehicle, imagine, replaces the driver. In doing so, it integrates complex systems: electrical, electronic, electromechanical, not to mention a multitude of software. It aims to substitute human senses, to activate appropriate controls, to decide relevant actions at the right moment.
Consider the combination of sensory and cognitive analysis. It allows one to see, feel, sometimes even anticipate. Imagine detecting a school on the right: one must consider the possibility of children crossing. Or, a neighborhood frequented by elderly people, where a pedestrian might suddenly appear.
These perceptions are enhanced by sensors, information systems that capture additional data, enriching the system like a clever droid. It is crucial to feed decisions with this information, anticipating complex scenarios.
Take a concrete example. On the highway, a car brakes abruptly five vehicles ahead of you. Despite your vigilance, the other cars block your view. Modern systems, thanks to augmented reality, like infrared vision, can detect obstacles invisible to humans, displaying crucial information on a windshield to assist your decision-making.
The advantage of such systems is that they process much more information than a human alone could. Satellite navigation systems, meanwhile, guide autonomous vehicles, offering you a kind of superhuman vision.
Let's talk about a car, with its first-level autonomous driving system: it maintains the lane, regulates speed, without manual intervention and the car can follow the one ahead of it for hundreds of kilometers without faltering. Impressive, isn't it? It's limited, yes, but effective, and you can already buy it at your favorite dealership.
But let's consider a higher level of autonomy: a car capable of making a decision to avoid an obstacle, for example. You approach a pedestrian crossing in a village where a mother crosses at the last moment with her stroller. The car must react quickly. It must assess its braking capacity. If it deems that it cannot brake in time, what are the alternatives? Stay in its lane and activate emergency braking despite the inevitable collision, or engage an avoidance maneuver, at the risk of facing another danger (pedestrians on the sidewalk, or an oncoming vehicle...). How can AI decide based on the severity of the consequences in a fraction of a second?
A difficult choice that could take into account the value of human lives based on criteria pre-recorded in its algorithm?
Thus, the ethical question emerges. Can modern systems, should they, evaluate the value of lives differently based on age, status, or the level of their bank account? It's a vast and complex debate.
We are at the dawn of a necessarily regulated era, with strict standards to come to frame these technologies. Autonomous cars, while promising, will never be entirely without risks.
Ultimately, autonomous vehicles promise more safety, less stress, and a new model for our mobility. But they also raise fundamental questions about our technological future.
How can manufacturers and developers strengthen public trust in autonomous driving technologies?
What could be the long-term consequences of the widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles on our society, particularly in terms of usage, employment, and urban planning?
Post written by Thomas Vassort based on an interview with Thierry Parayre, former CTO Vehicle Engineering of Renault.
Endless loop of a taxi driver robot, illustrating today's reality, in the USA.