Information Technology IT – 13 New and emerging technologies | e-Consult

Autonomous vehicles utilize a variety of sensor technologies to perceive their environment. These can be broadly categorized as follows:

• Cameras: Provide visual information, allowing the vehicle to identify objects like pedestrians, traffic lights, and lane markings. Strengths: High resolution, relatively low cost. Limitations: Performance degrades in low light or adverse weather conditions (e.g., fog, rain).
• Radar: Uses radio waves to detect the range, velocity, and angle of objects. Strengths: Robust to adverse weather, long range detection. Limitations: Lower resolution than cameras, difficulty distinguishing between different types of objects.
• Lidar: Emits laser beams and measures the time it takes for them to return, creating a 3D point cloud of the surroundings. Strengths: High accuracy, detailed 3D mapping. Limitations: Expensive, affected by heavy rain or snow.
• Ultrasonic Sensors: Emit sound waves to detect nearby objects. Strengths: Low cost, effective for parking assistance. Limitations: Short range, susceptible to interference.

Sensor Fusion: The process of combining data from multiple sensors to create a more accurate and reliable perception of the environment. This helps to overcome the limitations of individual sensors. Challenges include dealing with noisy data, synchronizing data from different sensors, and handling conflicting information.

Redundancy: Having multiple sensors of the same type ensures that the vehicle can continue to operate even if one sensor fails. This is crucial for safety.