The very word automobile<\/i> means self-moving<\/i>. Through their history of more than a century, automobiles have evolved, increasingly taking over the driving process from humans. Many years ago, the car had to be started with a crank; such features as automatic transmission, cruise control, and automatic braking would come many years later.<\/p>\n
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And now we are witnessing the emergence of fully driverless, automated cars. From the hardware point of view, there is nothing particularly complex about such vehicles. The wheels, engine, steering wheel, brakes, and various servos are just about the same as those in ordinary cars.<\/p>\n
Embedded cameras watching over the road and the other cars are not new, either. Road-sign-detection systems and satellite navigation devices with detailed maps are available in even midrange car models. Ordinary cars can also go as far as detecting road imperfections: Based on this data, for example, certain models of Mercedes cars adapt their suspension, making the car glide smoothly over the road.<\/p>\n
There is just one technical obstacle remaining to our fully driverless future: A software layer to manage all of the systems well enough to replace a human driver. But here many challenges arise, and not all of them concern technologies.<\/p>\n
The world has already heard about the first robocar fatality: A Tesla with a flaw in its detection system<\/a> failed to notice a truck crossing the road just in front of it. The person in the driver\u2019s seat was unaware of the situation \u2014 he may have been watching a movie at the time.<\/p>\n Who is to blame for the accident? The truck driver? He should have yielded to the Tesla, which had right of way. The Tesla\u2019s owner? He was not driving. The automaker? The company was not driving that unfortunate vehicle, either.<\/p>\n Driverless cars: how to have breakfast while steering https:\/\/t.co\/2QEjt8GLmx<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Qyx2HbMfgq<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Eugene Kaspersky (@e_kaspersky) December 15, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n