FTS x CONNECT: The road to driverless cars

HeadStuff members will know that Jenny and Elaine have discussed the prospects of driverless cars at length before now. But despite their collective reservations, Elaine went ahead and booked a ride in a driverless taxi when in San Francisco earlier this year. And it was quite a trip! 🚕

But even these Waymo robotaxis navigating their way through the busy streets of San Francisco haven’t quite cracked the full extent of autonomous vehicles, and we found out why that achievement will be so difficult to unlock. (And why Tesla’s chosen route is the road less travelled.) 🚧

Giving us a guide for the road to driverless cars, and explaining why a network of connected vehicles would be good for overall road safety and tranport efficiency, is Dr Aisling O’Driscoll, a researcher at the CONNECT Research Ireland Centre for Future Networks and Communications.

This episode is the first in our mini series in partnership with CONNECT, where we’ll be speaking to their researchers about lots more tech at the intersection of science and society.

Check out the links below for some further reading on this topic, or find out more about CONNECT at ConnectCentre.ie and keep up with their research by subscribing to their newsletter. 📧

Driverless cars are mostly safer than humans – but worse at turns

Driverless cars seem to have fewer accidents than human drivers under routine conditions, but higher crash risks when turning or in dim light – although researchers say more accident data is necessary

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Musk finally unveils Tesla’s fully autonomous robotaxi

Musk showcased the new Tesla ‘Cybercab’, a two-seater car with no steering wheel, pedals or a plug for charging.

Silicon RepublicSuhasini Srinivasaragavan

Tesla faces NHTSA investigation of ‘Full Self-Driving’ after fatal collision

Tesla faces a new U.S. probe concerning its “Full Self-Driving” systems, and whether they are safe to use in “reduced roadway visibility conditions.”

CNBCLora Kolodny

Geely expands satellite network for autonomous vehicles - GPS World

Geely, a Chinese automaker, has launched its second set of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites in its effort to enhance navigation capabilities for autonomous vehicles.

GPS WorldJesse Khalil