Self-driving features go mainstream

We all know that machines can be assembled and electronically programmed to exceed certain human capabilities.  A couple of those capabilities are surveillance and reaction time — two skills used over and over while driving.

That reality creates the main impetus for research and development of self-driving cars.  If those on-board safety systems can improve upon human vigilance and reaction speed, it’s surmised that vehicle crashes will be reduced or eliminated.  Since human error is at the root of most wrecks, it follows that eliminating human input to driving could be a good thing.

While we will have to wait awhile for fully autonomous cars and trucks to become available, some of their features will begin appearing on everyday vehicles very soon.  Availability of options like adaptive cruise control has so far been limited to premium, luxury, or otherwise high-end vehicles.  Beginning with the models appearing at new car shows and showrooms in the next couple of months, those technologies, which take over certain vehicle controls in certain instances, will make their way to mainstream models.

For example, the 2015 Toyota Camry can be had with adaptive cruise control and a collision avoidance system (previously only available on Lexus models) that will brake to slow or stop the car if a crash is imminent.  By 2017, those systems will be offered across the entire Toyota lineup.

Other automakers will be taking the same direction.  Ford’s 2015 Edge crossover will let the vehicle take over certain functions at crucial moments with the aid of a host of electronic gadgetry including camera, radar, and ultrasonic sensors.

As with previous innovation, getting those technologies into the hands of the general populace through mainstream products will enhance the capability and lower the cost of the offerings.  That is how Cadillac envisions the genesis and growth of its Super Cruise system, which takes over control of steering, acceleration and braking in city traffic or at highway speeds.  And once Cadillac perfects it, you’ll find it on Chevrolets.

Lane departure warnings and side hazard alerts have already appeared on many vehicles.  The next step is to synchronize braking and steering to those warning sensors so that the vehicle can automatically react to the situation.  Automatic and instant reaction, if it’s accurate, is certainly preferable to human processing, reaction and intervention in an emergency situation.  Certain drivers (like me) will be reluctant to give up control, but statistically speaking, doing so will be to your safety advantage.

With V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle) and V2I (Vehicle to Infrastructure) technology on the horizon, crash avoidance systems hold great promise.  Still, for that to be an eventuality, a flawless infrastructure of road mapping and markings is required.  The sort of glitches (freezes, blank pages, etc) that consumers have become used to with personal electronic devices cannot be tolerated.  To be safe and offer consumer confidence, self-driving aids will need the sort of system redundancy found in aviation and space programs.

Cars that fully remove the driver from driving won’t be a reality soon, if ever, but the technologies that will make them feasible are creeping into our vehicles now.  If current trends continue, in fact, some of those safety-oriented autonomous features will appear in just about every make and model before we know it.

An electronic system may lack the “brainpower” to accurately distinguish a deer from a pedestrian, but it can still be smart enough to avoid it.  That’s why some of these technologies can be implemented without being perfect.  Though they may not be developed enough to allow you to jump in your car at work and arrive at your house simply by saying “Home,” these features can “take up the slack” when a driver inevitably has a lapse of awareness.

Whatever features our future vehicles provide, they will become increasingly complex.  Those who long for the availability of a simpler vehicle should give up the wait.  Since the first one was built, motor vehicles have steadily grown increasingly complex, and technology has “exploded” from the moment computers began controlling engine and body functions (around 1980).  I think the trend will continue.

Readers may contact Bill Love via email at precisiondriving@spokesman.com.