In these columns, we have already had occasion to criticise the inefficiency and at times the dangerousness of so-called driver assistance systems, which are meant to improve road safety by transferring part of the driver’s responsibility to machines. The reality of a very near future is however even more worrying, because the increasingly openly admitted objective of political leaders is quite simply to replace human beings with machines, following the motto: as long as there are humans at the wheel, there will be accidents. In the automotive world, this translates as: to improve road safety, let us develop autonomous vehicles.
Given the progress made in this area, this future is approaching faster than some imagine. The development of modern vehicles is based on the “software defined vehicle” (SDV). Whereas, until now, each car could carry dozens of electronic control units, each performing one specific function, the SDV architecture will rely on a single large processor (the vehicle’s “brain”), which will centralise all the functions available in the vehicle. Secondary control units, which collect information from the sensors and distribute central information, will operate as routers. The “brain” is in fact a large computer that brings together an infinite quantity of real-time data and information relating to the vehicle and its environment, can process this information faster than the human brain, and can make decisions within fractions of a second. Human beings are replaced by the computer, and the vehicle becomes autonomous.
Several classification standards exist for the degree of vehicle autonomy, such as the six levels defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), ranging from level 0 (no autonomy) to level 5 (full autonomy). Today, almost all cars fall within categories 0, 1 (driver assistance) and 2 (partial automation), but in some countries vehicles of level 3, or even level 4, are already on the road (for instance driverless taxis).
With SDVs, level 5 (full automation) will be reached rapidly. The vehicle will then handle all driving tasks without any human intervention. To all those who prefer to remain in control of their vehicle and drive themselves, I have only one piece of advice to give: take good care of your current car and keep it.
Dr Yves Wagner
President of the ACL
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