Automotive Megatrends Magazine - Q1 2018

Page 55

Algorithms and machine learning highly

the expertise of Cruise Automation

technology. The bottleneck at this

trained. Barshack also provided an

have self-driving vehicles ready by

of how much manpower can we

However,

it’s

not

just

autonomous vehicles that need to be example whereby lane keep assist (a driver assistance system featured in

most new vehicles on the market today) malfunctions.

“The lane assist feature will provide

an alert when a driver crosses the

to do so. Ford is preparing to

2021, and is currently testing its

technology through partnerships

Creating jobs

other vehicle manufacturers have

With

Pizza and Postmates, and various referenced later dates.

“We’re seeing what I would call an arms

position,” she noted. “But if there’s a

observed. “The company or companies

piece of garbage in the road and it

happens to be yellow, it may or may not think I’m crossing a lane marker.”

All these random scenarios could have

a big impact on the way that self-

driving cars function, and in some

race

in

the

industry,”

Barshack

that own the ability to power fully

autonomous vehicles are going to win. I think it’s probably common knowledge

in the automotive industry that if you’re not in the area yet, you are not preparing for the future.”

cases, they could potentially cause the

Many

manner. Therefore, extensive training

vehicle technology on public roads. A

vehicle to react in a dangerous

throw at this.”

with the likes of Lyft, Domino’s

lane marker, and will also pull the steering to correct the vehicle’s

point is the training. It’s just a matter

companies

already

have

permits to test their autonomous

the

widespread

rollout

of

autonomous vehicles on the horizon, some

industry

watchers

have

suggested that thousands if not

millions of jobs could be threatened. Taxi drivers, for example, could be

replaced by self-driving cars that are much safer and cheaper to use, and a similar scenario could happen with heavy-duty vehicles.

However, Barshack thinks that the

job market will simply evolve: “There are already so many people getting

worried about what taxi drivers or

truckers will do, but the reality is

If we expect cars to be autonomous then they must be intelligent. They must be able to firstly identify a road sign, and then secondly be able to tell what that road sign says so as to react accordingly

of the algorithms is important both in

recent

of the technology as well as its safety.

showed that the likes of Waymo, GM

terms of the robustness and efficiency

The bottleneck

by

the

California

autonomous mode.

added, and at least during the early

operating

in

“I think the computing capabilities

is hoping to lead the pack. The

provide 360-degree vision and to

company has revealed plans to launch a

commercial

fleet

of

so-called

robotaxis in 2019, and is leveraging

www.automotivemegatrends.com

not disappearing.”

Self-driving vehicles will require

successfully

when it comes to the deployment of

autonomous cars, but General Motors

that the job opportunities are shifting

and Nissan self-driving vehicles have been

OEMs have various timeframes in mind

report

Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)

are all there, such as the ability to

process high resolution images very

rapidly,” Barshack stated. “We’re not

really waiting for any additional

people stages

to

of

train

market

them,

she

introduction,

specialist operators will be needed to sit in the vehicles and take control when needed. This is already the

case for platoons of trucks that are currently being trialled on public roads today.

55


Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.