The Smart Car Movement: Convenien ce or Gimmick?

 Driving vehicles is becoming more automated. A modern vehicle is starting to resemble a mobile data center. Robots with artificial intelligence that collect information about the surrounding environment and share it with the "smart" road and other robot drivers, have a passport, a unique network number assigned at the factory, sensory organs - cameras, radars, and lidars—and rapidly developing "brains" are increasingly replacing humans. The Smart Car Movement has highlighted how robots are excellent drivers who scrupulously adhere to traffic rules.

This is the first of five stages of automotive automation (Fig. 2), as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Automation can now handle route selection, especially in unknown locations. More specifically, to the artificial intelligence included into the navigation program. Navigators have long been valued by taxi drivers who come to Moscow to make money but frequently have no knowledge how to navigate the city. You enter the correct address, and the route is built.

Roads are getting ready for smart cars

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They maintain their concentration while constantly receiving fresh information about the route's features from the "smart" road, vendor databases, and other road users. The number of accidents and human casualties is predicted to reduce as highly automated vehicles become more widely available. Centralized traffic flow management will improve traffic flow, increase fuel efficiency, and reduce hazardous emissions into the atmosphere. With a complete shift to robotaxis, the number of cars on the road and in yards will shrink. It will be able to boost road capacity by narrowing the width of the lanes.

The absence of a person in the cabin will make it easier to deliver items in hazardous places, during natural and man-made disasters, or military activities. Transportation costs will be reduced as a result of lower driver compensation. A automobile that does not require a driver will enable those with poor vision, who do not have a driver's license, or who are intoxicated to travel alone. There is an obvious reduction in time and effort: instead of moving the steering wheel, a person can do other things or simply relax.

Cruise control and automation levels

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The pandemic and border closures have impacted summer vacation plans. Without receiving a refund for my airline tickets, I chose domestic tourism and drove south from Moscow. The federal highway M4 "Don" was renovated in preparation for the Sochi Olympics, although it was not completed until this year. In fact, this is Russia's first modern long highway, similar to the best European autobahns and US freeways. Two lanes in each direction, separated by a concrete partition, regular asphalt with no potholes, bypasses of crowded areas, and no traffic lights to slow traffic.

I recall driving down this roadway in the 1990s. Moving traffic police "ambush" drivers who cross into the oncoming lane and are fined. A broken two-lane road with almost no overtaking zones. And where it is permitted, it is impossible to overtake barely crawling vehicles due to the vast number of persons attempting to do so and incoming cars. On the 1,500-kilometer drive to the Mediterranean, I witnessed four catastrophic accidents involving damaged automobiles and blood on the asphalt. Now, everything is changed.

Automation of cargo transportation

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There were no accidents on the two-day trip there and back. Instead of traffic police, video cameras monitor movement (Fig. 1). It's a nice thing that the smartphone app alerts you when someone approaches you. It's unfortunate that the speed limit varies all the time. It is limited to 130, 110, or even 90 km/h on the exact same route and surface. When I didn't have time to slow down, the camera captured me going above 3 km/h, and a month later I received a 500 ruble fine. But at least I didn't have to stop on the highway and negotiate with the traffic cops.

Not only are roads improving, but so are cars. During last year's car trip across the United States, I was able to fully appreciate the benefits of cruise control. The highways between cities are excellent, and the speed limit remains constant. I set the maximum permissible speed and relax. The essential thing is to avoid falling asleep on a perfectly straight road. There were also some amusing moments. I was driving across Nevada's Mojave Desert when the road became blocked by surrounding cars.

Conclusion

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A Ford is in the right lane, slightly ahead, and a Toyota is in the left lane, slightly behind in a blind spot that the first car's driver cannot see. A great example of waiting for a setup. I saw this scam more than once in Moscow, but in the United States?! Having waited for the right moment, I managed to pass a suspicious Toyota and catch a glimpse of the driver. Having activated the cruise control on the vehicle, the girl was applying lipstick and checking herself in the rearview mirror, not caring about the road. Cruise control is an example of cooperative control between the driver and the vehicle equipped with an ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System).

This is the first of five stages of automotive automation (Fig. 2), as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Automation can now handle route selection, especially in unknown locations. More specifically, to the artificial intelligence included into the navigation program. Navigators have long been valued by taxi drivers who come to Moscow to make money but frequently have no knowledge how to navigate the city. You enter the correct address, and the route is built.