How many of you have been in a car accident, or know some who has?

Autonomous Vehicles

How do they work and what will they solve?

NICK FELKER

Car Accidents Are Commonplace

Millions of traffic accidents happen annually in the US

About 30,000 people are killed in accidents each year
1.2 million die globally each year

Data from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Causes of Accidents

Distracted Driving
Driving While Impaired
Driving Misjudgments

History Of Autonomous Cars

Autonomous cars have been promised but haven't delivered for decades
Manufacturers now pursuing internally
Basic safety automation is already implemented and inexpensive

Fully Autonomous

No blind spots
Quicker response time
Transportation for disabled
Less traffic and fewer accidents
Should be commercial by 2020

General Motors
Ford
Mercedes Benz
Volvo
Tesla
Google

How It Works

LIDAR - Laser Illuminating Detection and Ranging
Radar
Camera
Sonar
GPS
Machine learning

How It Doesn't Work

Traffic lights can be blocked by strong sun
Doesn't work very well in wet or icy conditions
Sensors are limited in what they can identify

Legal Considerations

If an accident should occur, who is responsible?
Will you be allowed to be distracted?
Will you require a driver's license to operate?
How will auto insurance change?

Effects of Self-Driving Cars

Google and Uber are each making autonomous taxi services
Driving related jobs will quickly diminish
Limit where one can drive

In Review

Current issues in transportation
How autonomous vehicles work
How driving will change

I leave you with this:

autonomous transportation in of itself isn't a cure all,

but it's one step in building a transportation system that works for everyone.

Questions?

Sources

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811059.PDF
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/transportation/motor_vehicle_accidents_and_fatalities.html
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-self-driving-cars-work-the-nuts-and-bolts-behind-googles-autonomous-car-program/
http://www.celent.com/reports/scenario-end-auto-insurance
http://spectrum.ieee.org/robotics/artificial-intelligence/the-unknown-startup-that-built-googles-first-selfdriving-car
http://www.forbes.com/sites/chunkamui/2013/12/19/will-the-google-car-force-a-choice-between-lives-and-jobs/2/?ss=future-tech
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/10603933/Mass-unemployment-fears-over-Google-artificial-intelligence-plans.html
http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/2/7966437/6-reasons-to-be-terrified-about-the-future-of-transportation

Future of Transportation

If things don't change:

More drivers will create more traffic
Energy demands will rise, as will carbon emissions
Crippling infrastructure will slow down commerce

From USDOT

"Beyond Traffic"

Autonomous Driving

By Nick Felker