When we hear “cars to “autonomous driving” it comes naturally to think of cars future that we have seen in movies for many years. And it is true, cars that can drive themselves, without the support of the human hand, are increasingly closer to becoming a reality thanks to the enormous evolution ofartificial intelligence of recent years.
However, there are several levels of automation driving, many of which are already on the market in Italy and widely used by drivers all over the world.
Self-driving cars reduce human error
When we think of self-driving cars, we first think of the immense progress accomplished by technology, but also by comfort to be able to travel without having to constantly pay high attention to avoid – rightly – accidents. And in fact, this is the greatest advantage of self-driving cars: according to estimates from European roads, the 95% of accidents are due to human errorthat is, distractions, risky overtaking, recklessness.
The great advantage that theautomation of the guide is in fact this: increase road safetyensuring a system capable of self-regulating and acting promptly, thus eliminating human error. However, this is a very complex objective, especially if we consider urban roads: assuming that all cars in circulation are self-driving, and therefore having eliminated driver errors, it must still be considered that the pedestrians can put themselves in danger, for example by crossing suddenly. So how should the car act in this case?
The one just posted is a ethics problem of automation, an important point in the debate on this type of vehicle.
They do exist however different levels of automation which precede the complete one but which already contribute substantially to increasing road safety.
There are 5 different levels: to date, 2024, we have reached the point of putting third level cars into circulation, and it is expected that around 2030 we will get to thefull automation.
The 5 Levels of Automation: From Parking Assistance to Hands-Free Driving
Fully automated cars aim to be, in fact, totally independent from human action. This means being able to travel safely without having to maneuver the steering wheel or manage acceleration and braking. Automation, however, is not just this, there are several levels: from 0 – Meaning what no autonomythen the “classic” vehicles – up to the level 5 – that is, when the car is able to move without the help of the driver. Let’s see them together.
Level 0 – no automation
Level 0 cars are, quite simply, the ones we are used to, which are not able to assist us or perform any function autonomously. This does not mean that these cars do not possess some advanced technologies: Not we have to confuse artificial intelligence with software capable of doing “intelligent” things, such as activating warning and emergency systems, or supporting the driver in the recovery phase parking through some sensors And cameras.
Level 1 – Assisted driving
The first step of automation is that of assisted drivingwhere the driver is supported by the car inacceleration And braking. These are cars that are capable of regular his own speed depending on the possible obstacles that it encounters, also implementing automatic braking if necessary.
In this case, however, the level Of support And minimum, for which the attention he leads is always to be considered maximum.
Level 2 – partial automation
We then come to the highest level of automation on the market today: partially autonomous driving cars. These systems are capable, like the level 1 car, of to speed up And decelerate depending on the needs but, in addition, they have the ability to check (partially) the steering wheel, for example by releasing a car into the roadway that was leaving its own lane lane. The most advanced models are also able to park independently in sufficiently comfortable conditions.
It’s about Anyway of cars in which the driver has full responsibility of the vehicle, but which are able to overcome errors for short periods of time (such as a temporary lack of hands on the steering wheel).
Level 3 – Conditional Automation
Conditioned automation will offer the driver the possibility of not paying attention permanently to what is happening on the road, but under specific conditions. In fact, these are vehicles capable of having full automation Alone in long stretches of road, such as the highways, and if the conditions do not vary with respect to the road conformation – in short, they are not able to manage the presence of a construction site on the road.
This type of vehicles It is in testing phase for several car manufacturers, which are proving their safety on public roads.
Level 4 – High automation
Level 4 is the step that precedes full automation, allowing the vehicle to travel autonomously for most of the journey: it is able to steer, accelerate, brake and control the surrounding space, as well as manage dangerous situations complex such as the aforementioned presence of construction sites.
We are therefore talking about vehicles that are able to drive safely on long stretches of road and that can pass through urban areas. but requesting still the presence of a driver that can intervene promptly in case of need.
Level 5 – Full automation
And here we are at the future seen in the movies: the driverless carsFully automated vehicles do not require a passenger who knows how to drive and may not have a steering wheel or pedals, as the vehicle itself will take over all the functions.
As you can imagine, this type of automation involves different challenges to be addressed, both from a technological, ethical and perceptive point of view.
As regards the technological challenge, the biggest obstacle is getting to aartificial intelligence that is able to immediately interpret any obstacle that presents itself and what conditions it is in at the moment of the obstacle. This challenge also includes a twist ethical: what to “teach” to cars? If a little girl crosses when she shouldn’t, should the car “save” her at the expense of the safety of others, or penalize her because it was the little girl herself who broke the highway code?
Furthermore, there is still a lot of public opinion skepticism towards the possibility that a software has complete control over our safety on the road.
