CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 The History of Self-driving Cars
Experiments have been conducted on self-driving cars since at least the 1920’s. Promising trials took place in the
1950’s, and work has proceeded forward ever since. The first self-sufficient and truly autonomous cars appeared in the
1980’s, with Carnegie Mellon University’s Navlab and ALV projects in 1984, and Mercedes-Benz and Bundeswehr
University Munich’s Eureka Prometheus Project in 1987. Since the late 1980’s, numerous research organizations
and major automakers have developed working autonomous vehicles, including: Mercedes-Benz, General Motors,
Continental Automotive Systems, Autoliv Inc., Bosch, Nissan, Toyota, Audi, Volvo, Vislab from University of Parma,
Oxford University, and Google. In July 2013, Vislab demonstrated BRAiVE, a vehicle that moved autonomously on
a mixed traffic route open to the public. As of 2019, twenty-nine U.S. states have already passed laws permitting
autonomous cars on public roadways.
Some UNECE members and EU members, including the UK, have enacted rules and regulations related to automated
and fully automated cars. In Europe, cities in Belgium, France, Italy, and the UK have plans in place to operate
transport systems for driverless cars, and Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain have already allowed the testing of
robotic cars in public traffic. In 2020, the UK, the EU, and Japan are already on track to regulate automated cars.
• Reference: History of self-driving cars - Wikipedia
Today, self-driving cars are the closest technological revolution at hand. Some experts predict that by 2025, Level
4 cars are likely to enter the market. The Level 4 cars will allow drivers to divert their attention to something else
entirely, eliminating the need to pay attention to traffic conditions as long as the system is functioning properly.
Level 4 reference:
• SAE Levels of Driving Automation™
• ABI Research Forecasts 8 Million Vehicles to Ship with SAE Level 3, 4 and 5 Autonomous Technology in 2025
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