Q: What are driverless cars?

Put simply, driverless cars are cars that can drive and navigate by themselves without a human driver at the wheel. 

You may not realise it, but many cars already have automatic systems to help drivers, such as cruise controlA system that automatically controls the speed of a vehicle. Assisted-driving technology is much more advanced than fully driverless technology. . Now, fully autonomousHaving the freedom to control itself or its life. cars are starting to move from science fiction to reality. 

Q: How do they work?

Driverless cars use cameras and sensors to recreate the capabilities of a human driver. 

Preloaded maps can tell the system where stationary objects like traffic lights are. But to spot moving obstacles, such as pedestrians or vehicles, the car relies on a range of video cameras, ultrasonic sensors and lidar. 

Lidar sensors, also known as light detection and ranging sensors, use rotating laser beams to form a 3D model of the car's surroundings.

A central computer then uses the information from all the sensors to steer, accelerate and brake. 

Q: Where can I see one?

For now, the best place to spot a driverless car is the USA. In Phoenix, Arizona, where the streets are wide and there are few pedestrians, driverless WaymoWaymo is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc, the parent company of Google.  robotaxis are already picking up passengers. Meanwhile, the company is currently testing cars in San Francisco, California. 

But fully driverless cars are still illegal in most countries. In the UK, trials for a new self-driving vehicle started in Milton Keynes this January. However, the Aurrigo AutoPod needs a human safety operator, can only drive at 15mph and is not allowed on main roads. 

Q: What are the advantages of self-driving cars?

Driverless cars could make life easier for elderly or disabled people who cannot drive. For others, travelling could simply become more convenient. 

Some advocatesSomeone who publicly supports or recommends a particular policy. The word originates from the Latin vocare, meaning to call. of driverless cars say they could be better for the environment. If robotaxi services take over, fewer people might choose to own a car. 

But one of the biggest advantages is safety. Roughly 1.3 million people die each year due to road traffic crashes. Driverless cars could eliminate the risk of human error. 

Q: What about the disadvantages?

Many driverless cars are still in test phases. We cannot say for sure if they are safer than human drivers. In March 2018, a womanNeil Armstrong - the first man on the moon - uttered the words "man" and "mankind" while on a walk there. He later maintained that he actually said "a man" rather than simply "man". crossing the road in Temple, Arizona, became the first person to be killed by a self-driving car.

Others worry driverless cars could put delivery drivers and taxi drivers out of business. Moreover, owning a self-driving car could encourage people to take more car journeys and use more fuel.

Q: When will driverless cars take over? 

Nobody knows for certain when, or even if, this will happen. Society would need to completely adapt. LawsRules that everyone must follow., infrastructure and mindsets must fundamentally change. Some companies, like Uber and Lyft, have already given up on autonomous vehicles.

"The wizards of Silicon ValleyA global centre of technological innovation in Northern California. It is home to many start-up and global technology companies including Apple, Facebook and Google. said people would be commuting to work in self-driving cars by now," says journalist Cade Metz. "Instead, there have been court fights, injuries and deaths, and tens of billions of dollars spent on frustratingly fickle technology."