Self-driving Cars: How Uber Self-driving Cars Work

Self-driving Cars: How Uber Self-driving Cars Work 

On Wednesday 14th of September, the multimillionaire transport giant, Uber launched a fleet of autonomous cars on the streets of Pittsburgh.

Most citizens of Pittsburgh are pretty excited about the new development in technological innovation. Self-driving, trucks, cars and robot lorries are the future of transportation. The project was kicked off by Uber two years ago, and Uber was happy to announce its completion to the public. Among residents of Pittsburgh, there are different responses. While some are happy to ride along on the self driving cars in awe, others gave Uber their middle finger. The idea of being able to go work while you sleep, eat, and play is a very appealing concept which was at one time considered as far-fetched. Subsequently, the Uber self-driving car, debuted on Wednesday, sparked up a lot of curiosity as to how these taxis work. For the self-driving car to work effectively, a bulk of the technology is required. It is not in any way futuristic, but it simply requires a combination of specific sensors that possess an advanced computer vision system. Some citizens of Pittsburgh had the opportunity of taking rides in the self-driving car. During a ride, the passenger is expected to input a location on an inbuilt GPS within the town he or she is going to. Note that this fleet of cars is used with certified Uber engineer and driver on the driver seat in case of an emergency. Apart from emergencies, the drivers are expected to kick start the autonomous Uber taxi. After kick starting, the pilot can switch to autopilot by pressing a silver button just beside the gear. Uber says that the technology is not yet advanced enough to be entirely autonomous, and so drivers must stay in the driver's seat for some time. This will continue until they can develop the technology to the point that these cars would be able to move around on their own, pick up passengers and drive back to their parking spots at days’ end. The Uber self-driving car is programmed with the city's map and as such, it cannot be initiated outside the specified perimeter. Some of the spectacular features of the car include; The Lidar for ranging and detecting. The Radar for mapping. The high-powered cameras for vision. And a highly sophisticated software. These inbuilt system enables the car detect potholes, congestion, and other slow moving vehicles. Although autonomous driving on a highway is considered as relatively easy researchers suggest that driving in city streets with high traffic volume, construction sites, and even potholes are an entirely different matter. This is another reason why Uber engineers stay in front. Apart from Uber, Google is also in the production of self-driving cars and is presently leading the charts. Google started pioneering its Google self-driving car technology eight years ago. Since then, the project has seen to the collection of more data than any other company, but traditional car makers like Uber, Volvo, and Tesla are faster in pace. Google's intentions are not yet very clear. The tech company recently join forces with Fiat Chrysler to attach its self-driving technology onto the Chrysler Pacifica hybrid, but all its efforts to develop a self-driving car with a steering wheel, makes the public believe that Google wants to develop its own self-driving cars. Another automobile company into self-driving cars is Tesla; Tesla made advancement in the self-driving technology over the years. Their autonomous cars have cameras as well as radar to position itself and move from one lane to the next. The car has a programmed speed limit, can switch lanes, and react to other cars, thus reducing the chances of an accident. Unfortunately, Tesla lost a driver during a test run on its self-driving car, leading to a drop in its ratings. Witnesses claim that the driver was watching a movie when the autopilot failed to distinguish between a trailer and a large 18-wheel truck on the highway. The autonomous car attempted to drive under a trailer swiftly. This caused an impact to the windshield, crushing the driver to death. Uber, Google, and Tesla all hope that in the next few years, individuals would be able to purchase and use self-driving cars without the need of a driver or engineer.