Imagine cars driving themselves seamlessly and safely down the highway. Gone are traffic jams, crazy drivers, and commute-induced headaches. A vision of the future? Actually, no, this was the vision of the 1939 World's Fair and an idea that has come, come again, and now seems closer than ever before. A combination of technological availability, continuing safety concerns, and escalating congestion and energy problems fuel transportation researcher and policy-maker dreams of robotic vehicles.
Robotic or autonomous vehicles use a combination of computer vision, radar, GPS, and LIDAR to navigate the road and traffic. Many of these technologies are already being integrated into today's vehicles. If you recently purchased a new car, chances are it contains "active safety" systems that actively detect and mitigate a possible accident. For example, your car's brakes may pre-pressurize to reduce the crash severity if sensors detect an imminent crash you will be unable to avoid. Beyond safety, elements of autonomous systems offer convenience. If your car has an auto-park system, you can take your hands from the wheel and let your vehicle automatically park in that tight but precious parking spot on a busy city street.