Are smart ROADS key for self-driving cars? Authorities say technology will prevent accidents, reduce travel time and save on fuel costs: VIDEO
Are smart ROADS key for self-driving cars? Authorities say technology will prevent accidents, reduce travel time and save on fuel costs
- States say they have to make their roads smart for self-driving cars
- This technology will cut down on accidents, travel time and fuel costs
- Some states in the US have covered a few miles of highway with technology
- But the problem is there is no standard for how cars communicate
- Cars from different firms gather and perceive data differently
As cars become smarter, states believe they need to make their roads just as intelligent.
Transit planners say 'smart roads' will prevent accidents from happening, cut down on travel time and help drivers save fuel.
Although a few miles of highway in the US have new technology, states need to learn how roads can communicate with self-driving cars from different makers, as there is no standard on how cars receive data.
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Driverless cars have been taught to drive more like human motorists in an attempt to help them recognize
and respond to risks on the road.
And many car makers say their self-driving cars will be safer than those with people behind the wheel and will reduce the 35,000 lives lost to traffic accidents each year, reports The Wall Street Journal.
However, for autonomous vehicle owners to fully experience the capabilities of their machines, the roads have to learn a few tricks themselves.
Planners say, 'smart roads can generate fuel savings by having cars drive at steady speeds, without stops and starts, and increase road capacity by enabling vehicles to travel closer together without risking traffic snarls or accidents,' reports The Wall Street Journal.
Although just a few miles of roads in the US are packed with smart technology, the incoming president Donald Trump has promised to increase infrastructure spending.
But because many of the US roads are already in dire need of funding for maintenance, experts say it will cost billions of federal dollars to hookup more than 4 million moles of roads and 250,000 intersections.
In November, Ohio announced it will be putting $15 million towards advancing self-driving highway technology in the state.
Officials say that a four-lane section of Route 33 northwest of Columbus will become a corridor where technologies can be safely tested in real-life traffic, aided by a fiber-optic cable network and sensor systems slated for installation next year.
The first hurdle states will have to clear on this journey is how to make roads communicate with cars from different auto makers and technology firms.
As of yet, there currently isn't a standard on how these machines can receive information from smart roads, nor how they handle alerts once they do get them.
The first hurdle states will have to clear on this journey is how to make roads communicate with cars, like Uber's (pictured), from different auto makers and technology firms. There currently isn't a standard on how these machines can receive information from smart roads
'What we have is a chicken-and-egg problem,' says Utah transportation systems program director Blaine Leonard, who is chairman of a national committee on connected cars and roads run under the American Association of State Highway and Transportation.
'Cars right now don't have anything on them to talk to. Most of the installations [on roads] are for research purposes.'
Utah is another state testing smart road technology on an area of Redwood Road in Salt Lake City.
They've added sensors to the traffic lights in order to connect public buses, which also 'adjust red and green signals to help buses stay on schedule,' according to The Wall Street Journal.
Virginia has fitted small DSRC devices to light polls and bridges, which 'watch' the road and give those at a control area change the speeds lane-by-lane depending on the traffic.
This technology also transmits data to state government road-maintenance vehicles about what is happening on the roads in order for officials to know if adjustments need to be made.
A hybrid Ford Fusions with the Uber logo be used for mapping data of Steel City and testing its self-driving capabilities on public streets.
Included in the announcement is a photo of a hybrid Ford Fusions equipped with a variety of sensor, radars and high-resolution cameras.
While the car is roaming around Pittsburgh, a trained driver will be seated in the driver's seat to monitor the vehicles performance -- but the car will be set in self-driving mode.
LEECo's LeSEE
China's LeEco has unveiled an electric autonomous vehicle that it says will surpass Tesla's Model S in 'all aspects of performance'.
Dubbed LeSEE, the sleek pearly white sedan has memory foam seats, Knight Rider-style voice activation, an automatic driving mode and a steering wheel that folds toward the dash when the car is set to autopilot.
This futuristic concept car was engineered to be a 'smart', 'connected' and 'automated self-driving car' and the firm hopes it will set the stage for a fleet of autonomous taxis.
Utah has added sensors to the traffic lights in order to connect public buses, which also 'adjust red and green signals to help buses stay on schedule,' according to The Wall Street Journal. It could also help cars like the Chevrolet Bolt (pictured) when it hits the road
General Motors & Lyft's autonomous Taxis
General Motors announced a $500 million investment in Lyft earlier this year as a joint effort to develop a fleet of self-driving taxis.
Although the idea seemed like a distant dream, the duo has announced plans for a testing program on public roads by 2017.
The program will use Chevrolet Bolt electric taxis and 'include real customers in a yet-to-be disclosed city'.
In addition to the testing program, Lyft is working on a new app that will be used for the autonomous cars.
The app is still a prototype, but will list the option for an autonomous car and there is a GM OnStar assistant to answer questions or report issues while you're en route to your destination.
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