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Self-Driving Cars: The Five Levels Of Autonomy Explained
The Five Levels of autonomy — the categorisation of the self-driving cars of the future, explained.
Autonomous cars are the future, and there's no doubt about it. Driving enthusiasts are slowly coming to terms with this fact, and automobile manufacturers have already understood this. Almost all big automotive companies are developing or have developed autonomous technology.
Autonomous technology enables a car to drive itself independently, without human intervention. But to what degree is it independent? The International Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) in 2014 published its 'Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to On-Road Motor Vehicle Automated Driving Systems'.
The title is big, but it is simple as they basically are guidelines to be followed by its members with relation to automobiles.
These guidelines filed in 2014 for the first time mentioned the term ‘Autonomy Levels' and defined them. These are the Five Levels of Autonomy which a manufacturer has to cross to get to the self-driving cars of the future.
This Article explains the Five Levels of Autonomy:
Level Zero Autonomy: Completely Dependent On Human Driver
Most cars today are at Level Zero Autonomy. At this level, the car is completely dependent on its driver. Even with automatic gearboxes, and automated emergency braking systems, a car is still considered to be at Level Zero Autonomy.
Level One Autonomy: Assists The Driver
The computers in the car can take care of either the pedal inputs or the steering duties, but not both together. Adaptive Cruise Control Systems and Park Assist Systems come under the purview of Level One Autonomy.
Level Two Autonomy: Partially Automated
This level of automation is just one step above the Level One, as the computers in the car can, under the fulfilment of certain conditions, control both steering as well as the input pedals. But the driver still has the upper hand in controlling the car. Tesla's Autopilot system can be categorised under Level Two Autonomy.
Level Three Autonomy: Automation Under Certain Conditions
The car can completely take over driving in certain modes, and under certain conditions, but a human driver is expected to be present and take control when the system asks for control to be taken over. The Human driver just acts as a backup for the car, and the car is dynamically capable of reacting to accidents on the road.
Level Three Autonomy has some issues with liability if and when an incident occurs, hence manufacturers are trying to skip Level Three and directly develop Level Four Autonomous cars.
Level Four Autonomy: High-Level Automation
A Level Four Autonomous vehicle is one which can drive itself without any assistance from a human driver. Under the right conditions and circumstances, a Level Four Autonomous vehicle can drive itself full time but will ask for human drivers assistance if it encounters something which has not been programmed into it. If the person is unable to drive, it will park itself until help arrives.
Cars like the Google self-driving car Waymo Firefly use Level Four technology but word has just come out that Waymo would be retiring its fleet of Fireflys and focusing on bigger, more capable self-driving autonomous vehicles.
Level Five Autonomy: Completely Independent
The level-five autonomous cars are so independent that, a steering wheel would be an optional fitting on these cars. There is a range of options with the freeing up of the driver, so the front seats might face backwards, to create a more interactive social space.
The car does not require any sort of help from a human driver and completely relies on data relayed from its sensors, and communication with other autonomous cars in the vicinity. Companies like Uber have already signed partnerships with car companies and autonomous technology developers to launch Level Five autonomous taxis.
Drivespark Thinks!
It is very obvious that the world is headed towards an autonomous vehicle driven future, and there is no stopping it. But, would these autonomous cars rule in India too? It is highly doubtful, as our roads have more hazards and the car would have to be more dynamic to handle it.
We do have cars on our roads with park assist and adaptive cruise control, which are Level One autonomous cars. Level Two might also happen soon, but going above that on Indian road conditions would prove to be an arduous task for manufacturers.
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