Reshaping Autonomous Driving for the 6G Era

Autonomous vehicles are self-driving platforms that will transform the whole transportation system into a new form of connected intelligent ecosystem. However, vehicle automation will go through multiple evolution stages that start by partially automated driving where platforms are self-managed while driving decisions are made by humans, to the collaborative driving vehicles where humans intervene is needed during emergencies, and ultimately reaching fully automated vehicles that are completely driven by artificial intelligence (AI). Although fully automated vehicles are anticipated to operate as independent platforms, in-reality they are network-dependent systems that require continuous access to communication channels. The terrain data obtained from vehicle sensors are limited in distance and may not be able to capture the surrounding landscape for safe automated driving.