Autonomous cars have arrived. Major automakers have been investing billions in development, while tech players like Uber and Google’s parent company have been
testing their versions in American cities.
testing their versions in American cities.
How a Car Drives Itself
LIDAR UNIT
CAMERAS
Constantly spinning, it uses laser beams to generate a 360-degree image of the car’s surroundings.
Uses parallax from multiple
images to find the distance to
various objects. Cameras also
detect traffic lights and signs,
and help recognize moving
objects like pedestrians and
bicyclists.
RADAR SENSORS
Measure the distance from the car to obstacles.
MAIN COMPUTER
(LOCATED IN TRUNK)
ADDITIONAL
LIDAR UNITS
Analyzes data from the sensors, and compares its stored maps to assess current conditions.
By Guilbert Gates |Source: Google | Note: Car is a Lexus model modified by Google.
