1. LAS432 |COURSE PROJECT-TEAM F | APRIL 18, 2013
The Autonomous Car
Team F:
Keeshia Whiteside
Kyle McKay
Jonathan Zipkin
Rasche Rollins
Shawna Robinson

2. Imagine yourself taking a trip in a car on a
vacation, commute to work, or even down the
street to the local grocery store. Today, thanks to
the latest technologies and innovations, those
same trips are possible with autonomous cars.

3. TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS FOR AN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE
SUCH AS BOSS INCLUDE THE CAPABILITY TO MOUNT NUMEROUS
SENSORS AND COMPUTER MODULES AS WELL AS A COMPLEX
ONBOARD SOFTWARE SYSTEM.

4.  New developments are still emerging, including warning devices
that alert the driver against intersection collisions and aids for
parallel parking and bus precision docking (Цzgьner, Stiller, &
Redmill 397). "Mitigating catastrophic failure at intersections of
autonomous vehicles." ACM Portal. Do robots have rights? The
more power autonomous vehicles are given, the more they are to
be feared.

5. Strengths:
 The government encourages new technological innovations if
they can help with transportation and safety.
 If this technology would be applied to electric cars that would
mean environmental friendly benefits would not oil and no C02
emissions.
 Offers benefits such as reduced need for traffic police, no more
vehicle insurance and fewer accidents.
 Vehicle is capable of staying in correct lane, adjust appropriate
speeds, and detect stoplights and signs.

6. Weaknesses:
 The autonomous car is only being tested and test-driven in the
current states of California, Nevada, and Florida.
 Skepticism of software controlling cars; for example, fearing that
the software could malfunction and cause the car to crash.
 Could be the end of automotive enthusiasm, as passion people
who possess when they have control of driving their car.
 The cost of the car is unknown currently and can be estimated
around $150,000 in equipment to make this car run effectively.

7. Opportunities:
 The autonomous car is capable of fulfilling the human
transportations attributes of a traditional car.
 Almost every car company will eventually be manufacturing the
autonomous car; many companies have already been testing.
Google through (Toyota Prius), Ford, Cadillac, Lexus, & Audi.
 Reduce adverse side effects of driving, (Reduction of accidents &
traffic jams, CO2 emissions and oil consumption.)
 Would allow people with disadvantages or not physically capable
of driving be able to ride in the driverless vehicle.

8. Threats:
 The public’s perception of having a car that drives itself, there needs
to be more testing and government regulations that can help change
the public’s view of autonomous car.
 Potential weakening of automotive industry, as all car companies
would be offering the same type car.
 Barriers to public deployment of autonomous cars through insurance
and liability issues, such as who should be liable for injuries and
damage caused by a certified autonomous car operating in an
computer-function mode.
 Public opinion of autonomous car being driven on public roads. To
start out autonomous car could just be driven on public transportation
on dedicated lanes or taxi-service.

9. One agency responsible for the enforcement of safety on our roads
and highways is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA). The NHTSA has made a significant research investment
in the potential applications of Assisted Automation types of
technologies, including, crash imminent braking, and lane keeping
assist systems (Medford, 2012).

10. CONCLUSION
 In all, developers and engineers will have numerous road blocks
and obstacles to overcome with the autonomous car. Some
restrictions are local and state rules and regulations, current
technology limitations, and the overall costs for production.
Although the future of the autonomous car is undetermined at this
time, universities and private developers are driving forward with
development and research to make the autonomous car available
to consumers around the world.

11. References:
 Public Concerns:
 Self-driving cars can navigate the road, but can they navigate the law? | The Verge.
Brandom, Russell. December 14, 2012. Retrieved from
http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/14/3766218/self-driving-cars-google-volvo-law
 3 Challenges Faced by Google's Autonomous Vehicles. News Staff. March, 4, 2013. Retrieved
from http://www.govtech.com/transportation/3-Challenges-Face-by-Googles-Autonomous-
Vehicles.html

Costs of autonomous car:
 http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/04/27/self_driving_cars_the_price_of_an_autonomous_vehicle_.ht
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Laws/regulations:
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/24/autonomous-vehicle-law-nevada_n_884307.html
 Remarks by Ron Medford, Deputy Administrator National ... [PDF]
 http://www.nhtsa.gov/search?q=autonomous&x=12&y=4