Autonomous driving: mobility in the near future
Cars that steer, brake or accelerate without a driver with the help of intelligent networking of their radar sensors, cameras and GPS data already exist – on the car manufacturers’ test tracks. It will still be a few years before self-driving cars are ready for series production and on the road in everyday traffic.
But Computers and semi-autonomous systems have long been an integral part of our cars: Automatic parking aids, computer-aided driving assistance systems such as lane departure warning systems or spacers, intelligent cruise control and traffic jam assistants are already standard equipment in many vehicles.
The technological developments of autonomous driving are tested on numerous test tracks, professionalized step by step and optimized for the mass market. In the future, autonomous driving systems should support significantly more drivers in road traffic – and relieve them completely in the long term. The car manufacturers and their suppliers have largely mastered the first two stages of the development process on the way to autonomous driving; some premium manufacturers are already on the market with stage 3:
Assisted driving (level 1) is now firmly integrated into the driving routine of many drivers. A computer-aided system supports the driver in his actions. Automatic lane departure warning systems and spacers, for example, make it easier to steer the vehicle on motorways and dual carriageways.
Vehicles that squeeze themselves into tight parking spaces all by themselves and do not damage other cars partially automated (level 2). In the meantime, semi-automated systems are not only offered by manufacturers of luxury models, they are also already being used in mid-range vehicles such as the VW Golf VII.
Highly automated driving (level 3) is currently only offered for a few premium models, for example the Audi A8. In the words of an Audi company spokesman, the A8 combines “predictive route data from the navigation database with information from the on-board sensors”. This means that the efficiency assistant automatically adjusts the speed in advance to the course of the road, the traffic situation and the speed limits. The aim is to drive as efficiently as possible. However, the highly automated functions can currently only be activated in slow-moving traffic on the motorway and up to a maximum of 60 km/h.
the Level 4 (fully automated driving) and 5 (autonomous driving) are still music of the future. BMW, Ford and Nissan, among others, want to put Level 5 cars (i.e. robot cars) on the road as early as 2020: These should have neither steering wheels nor pedals, the autopilot takes over driving the vehicle completely: There is none Drivers anymore, only passengers.
But: Legal issues in particular must be clarified before autonomous vehicles are ready for the market. Who is responsible in an accident? Is it the person who no longer drives himself? Or is it the manufacturer of the computer software? This is the main reason why fully automated cars are not yet permitted on German roads.