If you had asked the question, “what do you expect the world to look like in 2021?” to people 50 years ago, predictions could likely have included things like flying cars, robots everywhere, and humans living on Mars.

While we are a long way off some of those things, the capabilities of computers are fast advancing, and autonomous vehicles being a great example of what is possible in a world where ultra-connectivity, robotics, and coding languages can come together.

What are autonomous vehicles?

Also known as self-driving cars, robo-cars, and driverless cars, autonomous vehicles (AVs) are cars that can drive themselves from one location to a predetermined destination. They do this using GPS, sensors, lasers, radar, and “vehicle-to-everything” (V2X) technology that allows cars to “communicate” with one another.

Autonomous vehicles: what we know so far

Well, we know that AVs haven’t got the far-reaching presence that then US Secretary of Transport Anthony Foxx promised in 2016, which was that we would have them “everywhere” by 2021.

But we do know that self-driving cars have been made possible by the many advances in artificial intelligence. While it was once considered a stretch to imagine remotely controlling things like the temperature and lighting in our homes from hundreds of miles away, that is something that’s now commonplace. And we believe the same thing will happen with autonomous cars.

AV manufacturing giant Motional is promising to bring robotaxis to city streets in 2023, thanks to a partnership with Hyundai and Aptiv. In terms of self-driving cars that already exist, Google’s sister company, Waymo, and General Motors’ Cruise project are battling it out for the top spot, and have both been trialing driverless cars since 2017.

Unfortunately, AVs have gotten off to somewhat of a rocky start, with several incidents involving Tesla’s part-self-driving cars and a fatality in Arizona caused by an Uber vehicle that hadn’t activated its sensors and near-vision cameras at the time of the crash. This caused Uber to subsequently pull all of their cars from the roads and take time to redevelop.

However, experts are still confident that autonomous vehicles will become a huge part of daily life - but only when they have driven enough miles to prove they are safe enough.

How has COVID-19 affected the progress of autonomous vehicles?

Throughout the 2010s, everyone from Elon Musk to local newspapers promised that you’d be a “permanent backseat driver” from 2020. And then COVID struck.

The unexpected upheaval of a global pandemic has made drastic changes to the way AVs are being tested and produced. Manufacturers are now having to pause and reassess consumer behavior to see whether or not people will be comfortable in shared-transport facilities, and what the new future might look like for self-driving cars.

On the flip side of this, many manufacturers have used the pandemic as motivation, citing things like contactless food deliveries and medical supply drop-offs as critical areas of interest for automated cars during a time of mandatory social distancing.

During this time, many other forms of autonomous driving are being implemented into existing vehicles, such as adaptive cruise control, traffic signal alerts, and emergency braking. All of these things will familiarize consumers with the self-driving concept, and of course make it easier for cars to communicate with each other in the future.

What can we expect from autonomous vehicles?

Self-driving cars come with countless promises for enhanced safety, positive environmental effects and, of course, a way for disabled or impaired people to get around. In terms of how they provide better safety, autonomous vehicles are equipped with onboard sensors, cameras, and radars that detect other cars, pedestrians, and objects.

While they still need to complete millions of driving miles to be declared safe, the general idea is that a computer isn’t subject to the tics, flaws, and quirks of the human brain - and it doesn’t get tired - so many collisions could be avoided.

This safety will be further streamlined by V2X technology and the 5G cellular network, which will allow cars to interact with each other and communicate issues such as congestion and weather.

When will autonomous vehicles be available?

In short, despite promises from various manufacturers, we still don’t accurately know when we will have completely reliable, autonomous vehicles. Another factor that comes into play is where you are based - it’s unlikely that you’ll find a self-driving car anytime soon in the wilds of Iceland, but much more likely on the streets of San Francisco.

How should autonomous vehicles be programmed?

Fully autonomous, self-driving, and highly reliable vehicles may not yet exist or may exist in the near future. However, partly automated vehicles will be available in the market as early as 2024. Google, Tesla, GM, and Geely are in a race trying to out-compete each other in vehicle automation. The real big challenge is in the programming of an AI that will be the brain of fully autonomous cars.

Although the necessary technological innovations, such as magnetic-guided roads, GPS satellites, and obstacle avoidance systems are now available, the question of how to program autonomous vehicles is the central problem. It is not just a matter of having access to databases, maps, GPS, cellular phone networks, and computing power.

The onboard AI must be able to learn and self-program. It must be able to respond quickly to road dynamis, especially when it comes to roads that are not fitted with electronic and magnetic sensors for self-driving vehicles. Aside from navigational capabilities, autonomous vehicles must also be able to gather and correctly interpret the data of passengers, particularly in emergency situations.

A final thought

Advances in technology, like that used in autonomous cars, is thanks to the scientists, programmers, engineers and technical experts. That’s why it’s crucial that we ensure the next generation is learning STEM skills in the classroom, and is encouraged to consider careers in STEM-based fields.

Want to join us on this crusade? Find out more about Arduino Education and our educational solutions for middle school, high school, and university.