EC Mobility31 Jul 2019 21:17
'Road to Level 5 Autonomous Cars Will Come Through Level 3 and 4'
Autonomous cars are talked about as the next ‘big disruption’ in the global automotive industry. There are all kinds of talk about how various levels of self-driving vehicles will come about going forward. But clearly, the road to autonomous cars will not be a smooth affair.
Mitali Mishra, Chief Technology Officer, EC.Mobility believes the road to level five autonomous cars will come through level three and four. “When we traverse this journey from level three to level five or in some cases from level two to level five, it is important to bring this ‘autonomous’ feature a part of the regulatory framework. Clearly an active driver monitoring system is required as it is the missing link between V2X. In order to make connected cars a reality there is a need to bridge the gap between the V2X driver monitoring.”
Mishra further said the ‘autonomous’ feature is very needed in specifically level three and level four cars, wherein the driver is expected to go hands-free and eyes-free typically. “Under an autonomous driving scenario it is critical to ensure right alarms are sent out, thus letting the driver know, what is happening around him so that no untoward incident occurs,” she explained.
The EC.Mobility CTO said the next driver is comfort and convenience. “As we focus on infotainment systems that are more personalised towards the mood of the user and occupants in the car, it becomes imperative that you understand the driver’s or passengers’ behaviour.”
Mishra added that over the next 10 years driver monitoring systems will be play a key role in terms of the car taking control of the vehicle or at least providing a warning to the driver about the conditions, wherein a driver is either distracted or is drowsy. “If you see the driver is enjoying a short nap, but if the condition so happens that the driver needs to take control, then the driver needs to be notified and she needs to become alert and take control of the vehicle, she explained.
She explained how data will hold the key in building driver monitoring systems. “There will be a need for data of the driver’s head - what is the position of the head or what is the direction in which the driver is looking? Driver’s gaze, driver identification and driver’s facial expression are all very important but all these are very complex because drivers are of different age groups, different ethnicities and different genders.”
Mishra stated that eye colour, wearing lenses, wearing glasses, facial hair, length of hair are going to have an impact on what the car understands of the driver’s mood and behaviour inside the car, which is why validation of these systems is very important.
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https://autotechreview.com/features/road-to-level-5-autonomous-cars-will-come-through-level-3-and-4