History of Computers - Self-Driving Cars

Introduction

A self-driving car, also classified as an autonomous car, is an automobile that has an autopilot system allowing to to safely navigate without the input of a human driver. The most notable self-driving car is the Google self-driving car.

Overview

After Congress allowed commercial use of self-driving cars, the state of Nevada first passed the law allowing the public operation of these cars in 2011. A self driving car can navigate without human input. The car includes a guidance system to direct it to its destination along with short range sensors to navigate through traffic, pedestrians, and other cars. The laser range finders mounted on top of these autonomous cars create a 3D map of the environment. In order to have an accurate reading of position and movement, there are wheel encoders, additional to the GPS.