Driverless Cars

But in recent years, the idea of having the vehicle function more fully for the driver has become increasingly prevalent. More advanced technologies (sometimes called “driver assists”) have become commonplace. Many cars come with automated braking systems that use sensors to measure the distance between the vehicle and surrounding objects. If a collision risk appears to be imminent and the driver fails to press the brake, the driver assist can automatically apply the brake to avoid the collision. Rear-view cameras and collision warnings have also become ubiquitous. And automobile manufacturers took the technology one step closer to complete automation when automated parallel parking was made available to consumers. While not completely automatic (the driver maintains control of the accelerator and brakes), the parking system controls the steering mechanism of the vehicle to safely maneuver into a parking space.

With the successes of semi-autonomous cars heralded everywhere, most major car companies, and several corporate ventures, are racing to test even more advanced technologies in their labs and on the streets. Most leaders in this field are in California's Silicon Valley, where Google's self-driving car program has already logged nearly two million driverless miles. Google originally began this endeavor with modifications to vehicles in the marketplace and graduated to its own self driving “bubble car.” However, Google is not the only major player throwing its hat into the ring. Major names, such as NASA and Uber, have partnered with manufacturers and universities to advance research in this fast growing industry. Indeed, technology companies and auto manufacturers announce, almost daily, new collaborative efforts.