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| Tesla Model S |
A self-driving car is "a vehicle that is capable of sensing its environment and navigating without human input." (Wikipedia) The technology used to create self-driving cars has improved greatly over the past couple of years. Car companies have started to invest in these cars, one of the most notable companies being Tesla. Self-driving cars are supposed to make driving safer as they negate human error. The self-driving cars have a number of functions including maintaining distance from other cars and maintaining lane position. However, the technology used in the cars is not perfect as accidents continue to happen. Recently Tesla was in the news because a man crashed into a truck while he was using the autopilot feature in a Tesla Model S. Tesla did not recall the cars because the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration claimed the driver was at fault, not the car. The accident happened because the car was unable to detect the truck but the driver should have been able to slow down the car before the collision. This accident shows that there is room for improvement with self-driving cars.
How this relates to Computer Science
This relates to computer science because the entire self-driving aspect is dependent on programming. Computer science is used to program the car into responding accordingly to other cars on the road. The cars are programmed to maintain a specific speed or distance depending on the speed limit or other cars on the road. Computer science is necessary in order to advance self-driving cars to the point where they no longer need human input at all to function. Accidents like the Tesla incident will be prevented as technology continues to advance.
References
1. Gibbs, Samuel. "Tesla Model S Cleared by Auto Safety Regulator after Fatal Autopilot Crash." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 20 Jan. 2017. Web.
2. "Autonomous Car" Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web.
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I think the self-driving cars can be the near future of our transportation. Although there might be some obstacles, there are examples that sciences are working together to improve and develop safer version of self-driving cars. One of the examples, as you mentioned, is the Tesla Model S. Namely, it uses electricity to run and works based on programming within the car and it can partially drive on its own. The test drives showed that the car can drive on the highway and keep the speed and distance with the other cars in traffic while also being able to help driver to park the car.
ReplyDeleteI believe all these features, even if only the beginning, are huge and change the perspective of all the possibilities that are going to be available to us in the near future. Namely, this type of car could help people with impaired vision and enable them to drive which they could not have done before. Also, research shows that some of the traffic problems could be fixed such as traffic jams since the cars would be programmed to find the least troubled route. Overall, we can see how much influence computing has on our daily lives and what opportunities it leaves open for future.