Kick that ol’ robotic futuristic George Jetson crazy joint!
P. Diddy
Alright Alright Alright. Let’s get straight to the point of this piece. As some of you know, I am a fan of technology. I have been evangelizing tech for years now because mobility is the key to the health and wealth of every citizen. Mobility had to be one of the verticals of the Sacramento Urban Technology Lab (SUTL) framework in order for Sacramento to take advantage of the relationships and reputation I had begun to build while at GOBiz.
That said, I understand there is a difference between true autonomous and tele-operated vehicles but often it takes a lot to explain the difference to those who are unfamiliar. So last year, when I arranged for the City of Sacramento to partner with Phantom Auto, I made it clear the company tele-operates (remote operation) the vehicles from Mountain View, California. On the day of the initial demonstration, the media reported Sacramento had autonomous cars driving on the streets. Let’s face it, for them it’s a better headline and they don’t have to explain it to their viewers.
Anyway, I soon found out the media was getting calls from the regulators explaining they needed to change the report because what was happening in Sacramento with Phantom Auto was not autonomous. I then received an email and text message telling me I needed to correct the reporting. I explained I did everything by the book even providing the content for the press release. The questioning stopped, but I wanted to set the record straight on the tech. Both technologies – autonomous and tele-operated – will help move people in the not too distant future. You should know the difference.
Autonomous Vehicles (AVs)
Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are vehicles which do not require human drivers and are controlled by computer driven, self-governing technology. Designed to sense the environment and move safely and efficiently in traffic, AVs are also known as driverless, self-driving, or robot vehicles.
Autonomous vehicles utilize state-of-the-art technology to function and navigate roads independently. Autonomous vehicles make use of a variety of advanced technologies and instrumentation including GPS (global positioning system) to aid in navigation as well as sensors to avoid accidents and park safely. Autonomous vehicle technology is poised to become the greatest technology advancement in the automotive industry to date.
Autonomous vehicles have the capacity to revolutionize transportation and enhance human lifestyles through ride-sharing thus reducing the need for and number of personal vehicles. Reducing the number of vehicles on the road reduces the number of emissions and will also aid green initiatives and protect the environment.
While autonomous vehicles will not likely replace driver-controlled vehicles quickly, driver assisted technologies being developed for AVs will continue to safety for driver-driven vehicles. And as humanity becomes more aware of environmental concerns, shared vehicle services will be on the rise, again enhanced by technologies being developed for AVs.
The future is bright amid these enterprising applications and innovative technologies as decision-makers and other visionaries take solid steps forward in welcoming high-tech changes for the benefit of humanity and the planet. According to industry sources, the time is near when humanity will rely on daily travel, transportation of goods, and delivers complements of autonomous vehicles.
As technology is developed and tested in both driver-controlled and autonomous-drive vehicles, personally owned autonomous vehicles will become the safest and most convenient transportation available in the not-so-distant future.
Tele-operated Robo-Cars
Tele-operated vehicles include technology are essentially robotic cars, driven by humans which are elsewhere, similar to drones which are piloted remotely by trained professionals. In other words, tele-operations which is currently in development will provide the technology to allow self-driving cars to be controlled remotely by humans.
You may be thinking, this sounds like a combination of autonomous cars and human intervention. And well, you’d be somewhat right in your assumption. Thus far, autonomous vehicles have performed well in uncomplicated driving conditions, but complex situations have presented a number of issues.
The premise behind tele-operation is when issues arise, humans can take control safely provided latency, connectivity, and network failure is not an issue. Of course, at this juncture, tele-operations (the ability to remotely control a self-driving vehicle) is still in the developmental testing stages. In the meantime, states are creating laws which state driverless cars must have the ability to be controlled remotely.
Thus far one of the big issues is latency, aka being even a second behind real time, which poses hazards all around. Remote driver training will also require appropriate protocols to ensure safety of passengers as well as other vehicles on the road. The good news is, the technology is on the way, allowing control of vehicles remotely, likely from call centers where trained drivers, will control fleets of vehicles. The goal of tele-operated vehicles is not to replace autonomous vehicles but deliver the capability for human control in situations where construction, accidents, power outages, or other obstacles hinder the autonomous vehicle computer’s ability. It’s all a matter of getting used to new technology, then embracing it, and having a human ‘back-up’ doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.
AVs and Robo-Cars – The Future is Coming
The technology behind both autonomous vehicles and robo-cars, while each unique in scope and application, are working together to revolutionize the world in which we live, delivering positive changes for all of humanity.
