About the Editor

Self-driving cars are no longer in the realm of science fiction, thanks to the integration of numerous automotive technologies that have matured over many years. Technologies such as adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and V2V/V2I communications are being merged into one complex system. The papers in this compendium were carefully selected to bring the reader up to date on successful demonstrations of autonomous vehicles, ongoing projects, and what the future may hold for this technology. It is divided into three sections: overview, major design and test collaborations, and a sampling of autonomous vehicle research projects. The comprehensive overview paper covers the current state of autonomous vehicle research and development as well as obstacles to overcome and a possible roadmap for major new technology developments and collaborative relationships. The section on major design and test collaborations covers Sartre, DARPA contests, and the USDOT and the Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership-Vehicle Safety Communications (CAMP-VSC2) Consortium. The final section presents seven SAE papers on significant recent and ongoing research by individual companies on a variety of approaches to autonomous vehicles. This book will be of interest to a wide range of readers: engineers at automakers and electronic component suppliers; software engineers; computer systems analysts and architects; academics and researchers within the electronics, computing, and automotive industries; legislators, managers, and other decision-makers in the government highway sector; traffic safety professionals; and insurance and legal practitioners.