All About Self-Driving Cars
Before we directly jump into making our own self-driving bot, let us first understand how self-driving cars work and why they are useful.
All About Self-Driving Cars – Overview
Self-driving cars, as the name suggests, are cars which can drive themselves. They use sensors and systems to drive the car. How does the car know when to stop, slow down or take turns? The car uses sensors and systems to understand traffic lights, road bumps, people crossing roads and even vehicles around you.
Why Self-Driving Cars?
Self-driving cars have always been a dream but today, we are slowly starting to see them today. They are helpful in avoiding road accidents or can even help blind people to drive a car. Many cars today are equipped with sensors and advanced systems that alert drivers to avoid dangers. They can be used to travel in dangerous places where it is unsafe for humans to go like toxic areas or even different planets like Mars.
How Does AI Make Them Smart?
AI is used for robots to understand its surroundings like people walking, street lamps, pavements, animals, etc. AI helps it to understand that such things need to be avoided so the car can avoid crashes or accidents.
The car can change directions, slow down or even stop until the obstacle is gone. It finds out how far another car is, predicts approaching obstacles like a vehicle or a person crossing the road and selects the best action like slowing down, stopping or changing directions. The AI can even suggest the best routes to a destination based on traffic and weather.
Advanced self-driving cars can also find out if the car is rotated to a side in uneven terrain which will then adjust itself to stand as straight as possible.
Applications
The future of driving belongs to self-driving cars. Here are some of their many useful applications:
- Self-driving cars are used in waste collection bots, delivery bots, farming vehicles like tractors, etc.
- They use sensors to note the vehicle’s location, altitude, rotation, etc. which help to drive on uneven roads.
- Self-driving cars are used to help while driving the car in reverse.
- They are also used to explore new areas like Mars and other planets.