The world is changing, and businesses are introducing new inventions to get ahead of their rivals. It is evident in the automobile industry as the major firms in the field are investing in self-driving cars. Most of the ventures are pumping money into the initiative to start the massive production of autonomous automobiles. The companies include Tesla, Mercedes, and Ford.
On the other hand, Google is branching out of their specific businesses to invest in the industry. It is an indicator that self-driving vehicles are the future. However, this read will take you down history to understand where it all started and learn the facts on self driving cars.
The History of Self Driving Cars
Although we can date the idea of having the autonomous car before the invention of the engine powered automobiles, the plan to achieve the dream started in the 20th century. In 1925 it was the first time there were demonstrations about the vehicles. The developers would use another car following closely to help steer the driverless vehicle through traffic using a radio. The HoudinaRadiocompanywas the first to showcase the automobile. Subsequently, other companies like Achen Motor would showcase their invention a year later.
Many people would come out to see the developments. Still, there was no real progress since it would require another person to be close by to navigate the vehicle. It ended being more of an entertainment than something people would use in an everyday setting.
The Vision
Since the autonomous vehicles were not operating efficiently, there was a vision by NormanBel Geddes, a famous industrialist, to have a separate highway for self-driving vehicles. The idea was to link each city to enable the free movement of automobiles. Until the late 1950s, General Motors would unveil such a route, and in the 1960s, companies would test their inventions on the road.
Since the government had no support to set up thousands of kilometres of such highways, the vision would not materialize. However, companies from different parts of the world started research on the development of self-driving vehicles. They focused on engineering an automated system than the roads.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
A Japanese company was the first to use cameras in the car to help steer a self-driving vehicle. It was the first time the inventions did not require a person near them to operate. In the 1980s, the use of artificial intelligence by the Mercedes Benz company would improve the models. They used sensors and cameras to control the steering, braking and throttle system.
The Realization of the Dream
Since there was progress in autonomous car development, companies did pump money into research with different players, including the military and Google wants a piece of it. In the 21st century, the prototypes were available for testing. Around 2016, it was the first time self-driving cars would cause an accident.
Now, automobile companies are rolling out the vehicles commercially. It includes the ancient businesses like Honda, Audi, Toyota, Volkswagen and new entries in Google, Tesla, Microsoft and Uber.
