The future with self-driving cars

Imagine a world where traffic jams are a distant memory, and car accidents are drastically reduced. This is the promise of self-driving cars. Beyond convenience, this technology offers increased safety, efficiency and accessibility. However, challenges remain, including regulatory hurdles, cybersecurity concerns, and the ethical dilemmas of AI decision-making in accidents. But what is the future of self-driving cars and how do people fit into the equation?

- by Silicon Valley Bureau

As per his LinkedIn profile, Barmak Heshmat is the founder and CEO of Brelyon, the company which deals in display technology. Previously, Heshmat headed the optics team at Meta Augmented Reality. Prior to that, he was a research scientist at MIT Media Lab, where he was a founding member of the Imaginarium of Technology initiative

Self-driving cars are predicted to revolutionise transportation by merging it with various services. Imagine vehicles that provide health monitoring and massages, or even deliver meals on the go.

Before self-driving cars become commonplace, "drive-assistive" technologies using lidar and 3D scanning will become more sophisticated. However, these methods struggle to "see" around corners. A new generation of "ground sensing" technology, pioneered by Andreas Velten at MIT, could overcome this limitation. By analysing how laser light scatters off the ground, this technique allows vehicles to detect obstacles hidden around bends or intersections, enhancing safety and paving the way for fully autonomous driving.

As manufacturing costs of self-driving cars decrease, expect to see increasingly complex and personalised interiors. Self-driving cabins will become a reality, offering passengers a unique and customisable travel experience.

After 2030, there may be a good chance that a dedicated delivery infrastructure is developed for high speed autonomous delivery full with rovers and drones into a self-driving car.

The future is predicted to move beyond self-driving cars to drone transportation with the help of advancements in AI and self-navigation. This may expand to self-riding boats that may connect small island cities to each other.