Autopilot or self-driving cars are the next projects of automakers for improving the technological aspect of cars but this vision needs more time to be created. This type of technology needs more attention because it is a big innovation.
Autopilot Needs Ten More Years To Be Attained
Autopilot mode in automobiles needs to be accurate in terms of safety. The design must be perfected. Some automakers have already ventured into this tech and unfortunately, car makers encounter a lot of problems that may endanger the safety of the passengers.
According to Raj Rajkumar, co-director of the General Motors-Carnegie Mellon Autonomous Driving Collaborative Research Lab, the autopilot mode on cars needs ten more years to be perfected. Carneige Mellon has been experimenting with the right formula for the autopilot mode on automobiles since the 1980s.
Not only the software needs development, but the infrastracture also needs improvement. First, software can predict any possibilities with the weather and accidents that might happen. Lastly, if the infrastructures are defective, how can it assure the safety of the driver?
Autopilot needs common sense. Rajkumar said, "Self-driving cars can only do what programmers tell them to do. They can't anticipate everything that can happen on the road." He also believes that car makers need to be aware of what kind of technology they will give their consumers just to create the perfect self-driving car.
Autopilot On Motorcycles, A Possibility?
Karl Viktor Schaller, head of development at BMW Motorrad believes that safety is the number one problem when it comes to autopilot mode of cars. "It would mean a dramatic enhancement in safety for the motorbike and it would guarantee a wider user group," Schaller said.
Motorcycles are the number one cause of vehicular accidents in U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that one out of five motorcyclists die because of accidents that are involving motorcycles, Bloomberg reported.
Schaller emphasized that if a robot can drive the motorcycle, accidents will be lessened. However, Xavier Mosquet, a senior partner at Boston Consulting Group, said that only Americans ride motorbikes for fun while people in China and India choose motorbikes for their prices.
"I think it's going to depend on the motivation and the location," Mosquet said.
Meanwhile, many automakers have been announcing future releases of their companies' self-driving cars like Volvo and Ford.
