selfdriving

SelfDriving, also known as autonomous driving, refers to vehicle systems that can operate with limited or no human input. Modern SelfDriving combines sensors, mapping data, and software to perceive the environment, decide on a route, and control vehicle motion.

SAE J3016 defines six automation levels from 0 to 5, with 0–2 representing driver assistance, 3 conditional automation, 4 high automation, and 5 full automation where no driver is required.

Key components include perception systems (cameras, lidar, radar), localization and mapping, trajectory prediction of other road users, motion planning, vehicle control, and vehicle-to-everything connectivity.

Early work emerged in the 1980s and 1990s, with experiments by universities. The DARPA Grand Challenges (2004–2007) accelerated progress, and the Google Self-Driving Car project began in 2009 and evolved into Waymo.

Today, many passenger vehicles offer level 2 or 3 automation. Level 4 deployments exist in geofenced areas from operators such as Waymo and Cruise, and there are pilot programs for trucking and last-mile delivery.

Regulators address testing safety, data privacy, and liability. Standards bodies and jurisdictions vary, with ongoing debate over responsibility in mixed-traffic incidents and requirements for cybersecurity and software updates.

Challenges include handling extreme weather, complex urban environments, legal and ethical questions, high development costs, cyber threats, and the need for reliable high-definition maps and data infrastructure.

If widely deployed, autonomous driving could improve road safety, increase mobility for non-drivers, and reshape transportation economics and urban planning, while also raising job and policy considerations that societies must address.