The autonomous vehicle is arguably the most electrifying development in the automotive industry in the present times. Looking ahead, one thing is clear: rapidly evolving technology is critical to the future of fully autonomous driving. In the past few years, the technology adopted in cars and trucks has improved significantly. Features like automatic emergency braking and forward-collision warning, along with advances in real-time data analytics and automotive sensors, have made our vehicles and us, safer.
Autonomous vehicles, already in use in some countries, aim to not only bring down the high incidence of car accidents and human errors, but also to reimagine the driving experience as relaxing and social, rather than vigilant and treacherous. Currently, most self-driving prototypes are packed with cameras, radar, sensors, and LIDAR to ensure that they can instantly identify people from a distance.
The front-line sensor technologies in driver-less vehicles
With the sensors equipped in the self-driving vehicles, they can certainly match a pair of human eyes and the image-processing power of the brain. Three of the sensory systems presently employed in autonomous vehicles – radar, ultrasonic detectors, and LIDAR — are majorly deployed in driver-less vehicles by automakers.
- LIDAR Sensors: LIDAR employs laser scanning and ranging to build up an exhaustive three-dimensional image of an automobile’s surroundings. LIDAR’s active safety systems makes it the most preferred sensor for autonomous vehicles.
- Radar Sensors: Radar sensors also recognized as headway sensors are a key element of ADAS. These sensors are deployed to constantly sense the real-time distance between vehicles or amongst the vehicle and the large objects around it, thereby improving driving efficiency and safety.
- Ultrasonic Detectors: Ultrasonic sensors produce ultrasonic waves which detect the presence of any obstacles close to the vehicle. The presence of an obstacle sends the signal back to the control unit of the car, which alerts the driver and helps avoid any mishap. Automakers are already using these sensors, albeit only for the short-range applications. At present these sensors are being used by automakers only for short-range applications.
Technavio market insights: A key to success
As technology advances, our roads are likely to be shared with self-driving vehicles which employ various kind of sensors and applications. Different sensor technologies allow for a wide range of automation for vehicles. Thus, manufacturers in the autonomous vehicle sensors market have huge scope of growth in the future. Technavio’s market insights unleash the scope and opportunities present in the market, which will help players in the global autonomous vehicle sensors industry to take strategic business decisions that can award them success.
For more information on autonomous vehicle sensors
