Uber Ready

While autonomous cars have not exactly taken over, there is one company that is looking to be a catalyst. The leading Stranger-Aren't-Dangerous transport company, Uber, is looking to eventually replace all of their barely-qualified drivers with, well, no one. The self-driving cars would be cheaper for the company, safer for the passengers, and better in terms of insurance, legality, and taxes.

Are We There Yet?

Uber's first Self Driving delivery in Pittsburg, PA

The science behind the autonomous driver is still in its puppy stage. The technology uses sonar camera's, and GPS to maneuver the car to its desired destination. Electric car manufacturer Tesla already have self-driving technology in their cars, but its not the "real-deal". Tesla cars are able to drive for a maximum of 15 minutes, before human input is requested and required to continue.


Should Uber Slow Their Roll?
Uber brush over the fact that technology may not be ready, and have set a goal to have all Uber vehicles be self-driving by the end of 2017. Other than the fact that this will leave a lot of people without a second (or only) job, it will require an investment in autonomous cars to get the technology in a position where such a thing can happen.



Under the Hood
The cars have at least 8 sonar detection cameras that are all placed in a location to do different jobs. Some cameras are used collaboratively with GPS to assure the car is between the yellow and white line on the road. Others are used to detect other cars, street sings, pedestrians, and other objects. All data gathered from the cameras are sent to the main computing hub onboard the car. The automated steering wheel and gas pedals are then told what to do.

Writer: Pat Wilkinson

Parrish, Kristen. "LIDAR, Cameras, Radars, ACTION! The Road to Autonomous Vehicles." LIDAR, Cameras, Radars, ACTION! The Road to Autonomous Vehicles - TI Live @... - Blogs - TI E2E Community. Texas Instruments, 17 Mar. 2015. Web. 27 Nov. 2016.