Scientists have always been debating about the answers to a certain question, even before a deadly accident had that involved one of Tesla's cars and its semi-autonomous mode had happened. The question: Can a driver be able to safely take control of a car once it has obtained a mind of its own? As much as we would like to put off the question as one for future ages, the fact is that we have to face it here and now.
Even though the Tesla Model S has been the vehicle in the limelight for the past few weeks, the truth is that many car models from Volvo, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz have developed systems that combine features such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping, and automatic braking. By doing this, they allow drivers to momentarily remove their hands from the steering wheel and their eyes off the road.
Conventional automakers, though, have made sure that the system only permits drivers to take their eyes off for a few seconds at a time, meaning that he or she needs to able to retake command as soon as the stipulated time is over. Companies such as Tesla have gone further. As evidence, certain Tesla drivers have posted videos of themselves using the Autopilot features. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration classified both these types of automobiles as Level 2 cars, which begs the question of what Level 3 might mean.
The Safety Administration claims that Level 3 vehicles would be those "that can drive on their own in specific circumstances, such as on the highway, but still require a human driver to be available for occasional control, but with sufficiently comfortable transition time."
However, some technology giants such as Google believe in a supposed Level 4. They hope that there will be a day when a completely autonomous car can be for sale to the public. No longer will the driver be part of the equation. As time goes on, conventional automakers are starting to agree to this ideal as well. One of these companies is Volvo. Volvo has only made Level 2 cars so far, including the 2017 S90. Now they've decided to jump the Level 3 stage and get working on developing cars that could represent the magnificent Level 4.
Experiments done by Virginia Tech researchers under the watchful eye of the National Safety Administration found that it took drivers an average of seventeen seconds to retake command of a Level 3 car that had become briefly autonomous. A vehicle going at sixty-five miles per hour would have traveled over 5 football fields in this time period. Even after finding such results certain automakers and researchers claim that it's too soon to get rid of human intervention from the equation of driving.
"I'm hesitant to write off Level 3," states Shane McLaughlin, director of the Center for Automated Vehicle Systems at Virginia Tech. He believes extra technology may be able to solve the human transfer problem.
These solutions might include video and infrared systems in the car that check the driver's focus. Perhaps even the creation of an "electronic horizon" system might give drivers more time to become aware of obstacles farther down the road. This would allow the drivers to communicate with their car ahead of time.
People in favor of the step by step movement point out the problems with having a fully autonomous Level 4 vehicle. For example, a fully autonomous car wouldn't necessarily know how to evade a ton of bricks that might fall out from a truck traveling on the highway. After all, it never would have encountered that situation before. Companies such as Audi and Toyota believe it is essential to make sure conditions are right for Level 3 before jumping to Level 4. After all, machines aren't as aware as us humans yet.