Torque Talk: Autonomous Driving

The idea of the driver sitting back and letting the car do all the driving has fascinated the masses and attracted billions of dollars in investment for decades.

The first truly autonomous car was created by Ernst Dickmanss in 1987. This car did not require human intervention in busy traffic or on motorways by using earlier forms of AI technology.

In the last few years, we have seen considerable strides with semi-autonomous technology, from having radar guided adaptive cruise control to cars having tech which can detect hazards or obstructions and react accordingly, often quicker than humans could themselves.

These help those who have difficulty driving due to mobility or vision impairments, however, going fully self-drive still has its risks. For example, there have been fatalities due to issues with the self-drive modes in some vehicles.

Also, despite being aligned with mapping software and GPS, who is to say self-driving cars won’t be a target for hackers who could very well access your car’s autopilot and information.

Self-driving cars are on the horizon, but there are still plenty of niggles to iron out. Also, as a keen driver, I sincerely hope that I still have the option of doing the driving myself for many years to come.