the use of lidar technology in autonomous cruise control systems for ...

Gregory JakubiecBrendan Mullinixcars. “Something similar to this happened after the ThreeMile Island and Chernobyl accidents with the nuclearindustry, and it has only recently partly recovered from thosedisasters” [13]. An event such as these would set theautonomous automobile industry back decades, andpotentially destroy any chances it had at large scaleimplementation.Although the majority of relevant ethical concerns regardautonomous automobiles specifically, LiDAR also carriespotential ethical problems in and of itself. For instance,many people are likely to be anxious of the widespread useof laser technology due to fears of lasers harming humanbeings or the environment [1]. These fears are unfounded,however, as the lasers utilized in these use a wavelength andfrequency that has been tested and proven to be safe forhumans and not damage eyes or other bodily functions.In order to successfully integrate these machines into oursociety without dissent, it must be made sure that any and allof the devices used are safe to humans, through extensiveresearch and testing They should also be integrated intowidespread use fairly slowly, so that society can adapt totheir use as should occur naturally.Although LiDAR and autonomous cars do have theirethical complications for society, they are of a magnitudethat can be overcome over time through responsible use ofthese systems. After all, the initial advent of cars themselvesmet plenty of dissent from the public, and now a majority ofAmerican families own vehicles, or at least make use ofpublic transportation, and it has led to a far more advancedand efficient society, as will LiDAR and self-driving cars inyears to come.Pre-Crash SystemsOne important part of autonomous, as well as semiautonomousvehicle systems is pre-crash systems. These aresystems that are implemented in the event of an impendingcrash to minimize the damage caused, and therefore helpmake these cars safer, for passengers that may ride in them,as well as decreasing the likelihood of accidents betweennon-passenger cars. These are already being used in userdriven cars that are currently on the road in order tominimize injuries and fatalities to the passengers.Basically, the vehicle sense when an emergency is aboutto occur through LiDAR and radar and activates anemergency reaction sequence. The vehicle will thenautomatically react by tightening seatbelts, adjusting headrestraints, and deploying airbags early, in order to protect allonboard passengers. It will also activate emergency steeringand braking, as fast as physically possible, to avoidoncoming collisions, and set off emergency signals [9]. Thisis one major aspect of what makes self-driving cars saferthan human driven cars. Humans will often panic duringemergency situations, whereas autonomous cars canconsistently act as logically as possible and do whatever ispossible to avoid an accident, or at least minimize thedamage caused by one.THE FUTURE OF LIDAR ANDAUTONOMOUS AUTOMOBILESJudging by the current state of autonomous automobiletechnology, self-driving cars are a very real possibility forthe relatively near future. Although still being heavilyrefined and researched, the required technology is certainlyin existence. Google has successfully created a small groupof functioning semi-autonomous cars, which have driven atotal of around 140,000 miles around California, although allof these are done with a driver who can take control ifnecessary. “Cars are approaching the point that smartphoneplatforms had reached just before the introduction of theApple iPhone and the Motorola Android” [4].Implementation of self-driving vehicles into things such asthe shipping business, would completely automate truckdriving, eliminating human error and decreasing excesspollution. This will also allow for things to be shipped muchcheaper, as drivers would not be utilized, but rather a smallgroup of technicians to service the vehicles.In California, a bill was signed into law by GovernorJerry Brown on September 25, 2012 that will legally allowautonomous cars to travel on public roads along with userdriven cars, once they have been certified as safe [12].Sergey Brian, of Google has also said that it would take“fewer years than he had fingers on his right hand” for thesecars to become available to the general public, although theyare likely to be very expensive at first [12].With advancements and promises such as thesehappening outside of the science and engineering world, aswell the technological advances that continue to occurwithin the software and operation of autonomousautomobiles and their use of LiDAR systems, it likely willnot be very long before we begin to see these cars on theroad alongside our own.REFERENCES[1] (2012). “How does LIDAR Work?” LIDAR-UK.(Online article). http://www.lidar-uk.com/how-lidar-works/[2] (2012). “HD-64e.” Velodyne LIDAR. (Online article).http://velodynelidar.com/lidar/hdlproducts/hdl64e.aspx[3] (2012). “LIDAR Overview.” Washington.edu. (Onlinearticle).http://forsys.cfr.washington.edu/JFSP06/lidar_technology.htm[4] M. Conner. (2011). “Automobile sensors may usher inself driving cars.” EDN Network. (Online article).http://www.edn.com/design/automotive/4368069/Automobil7