Not only in the United States, in Germany, too, will be eager to get screwed on the self-propelled motor vehicle. However, the company is ready for the technology of the future? The skepticism is great. From Berlin, Sabine Kinkartz.
Actually, it sounds really good: the cars that control themselves, get people to call and bring you to your desired destination. A steering Wheel no longer have these vehicles and no driver who is responsible. Long traffic jams a thing of the past, because each car is part of an intelligent traffic control system. This protects the environment and, of course, to reduce accidents to a Minimum. Finally, 90 percent of all traffic accidents, human failure.
Brave new world? After an initial euphoria, the expectations are muted significantly in the meantime. In many examples, it has been shown how error-prone the new technology. In addition, many unresolved, ethical questions arise when taking a closer employment with the new technology.For example, if a self-driving kill car in the event that an accident is unavoidable? The woman with the child, or the man with a child?
2019 it goes in Germany
Also in the German car industry has become more cautious. Nevertheless, the issue remains a “Megatrend,” as Marko Gustke from the Association of the German automotive industry (VDA) says. “We’ll see, of course, the aspects of road safety.” Currently, the customers would be willing to spend for security systems just a little bit of money.” You Packed the Whole thing in a sexy environment, in the appropriate functionality with comfort, then appropriate technology packages in the vehicles better in the market place.”
The concept of VW for Autonomous Driving
Gustke expects that the first features will be available in the coming year. First of all, on the highway. “We need guidelines, we need line management in good maintenance conditions, so that the vehicle orientation and position.” In traffic jams, the Computer then takes over and steers the car up to a speed of 60 km/h. Other assistance programs are to follow, so that from 2022 all cars on highways autonomously in traffic can be controlled. “The driver-free Driving in inner cities, we are still far away,” stresses Gustke.
The USA is ahead
Autonomous Driving is being driven in the USA for years. The road safety authority wants to give free NHTSA, soon, Autonomous cars for transport, the driving in certain driving situations, in fact, completely without human intervention. Google has been testing this technology for quite some time in Chrysler Minivans on limited surfaces.
In the U.S., the robot controls already
This would then be the so-called “Level 4″vehicles on the five-point scale for Autonomous Driving. It is the so far longest step in the development. Because the level of five, on the the Computer to master the driving in all traffic situations without human Intervention, is so far, in fact, pure fiction.
By the human driver of the robot car
“Level 1” means the car that gets by largely without automation, and just about simple security systems such as, for example, a distance has holder. On “Level 2” has a hold on the car already on the track and Parking assistant, the also take over steering functions. On “Level 3” will be booted automatically. The car controls, but only so long, until the technology recognizes that she gets in trouble. For example, if a snowstorm or heavy rain camera and Radar put out of action. Then, the technique signaled to the people that he needs to take control.
But it is precisely this Level it is particularly. “People are not built so that they can permanently be attentive,” the engineer says psychologist Mark Vollrath. Automated Driving will lead to boredom, the driver would deal with other things than to monitor constantly the traffic. “So, as you watch boring TV shows waiting for an exciting Moment,” said Vollrath, who teaches as a Professor at the Technical University of Braunschweig.
In the Monitor people are lousy
In a highly automated vehicle is not defined the division of tasks is clear. “White man, what the vehicle is doing and what he needs to do for himself?”, ask Vollrath. Risks the sudden Moment of Transition, the responsibility of the machine carries to the people. “Man can do this at all, what he needs to do, or is he overwhelmed?” In Tests, Vollrath has found out that people that watch a long time just the reaction time is prolonged significantly. In cross-border situations, even experienced drivers had a Problem. “Here we had almost three times as many accidents as in the case of manual drivers.”
In the driving simulator is currently being tested diligently
One finding that is of concern to the insurance industry, the accident researchers are working now very intensively with the risks of automated driving. “Until the full situation control, and thus to the fully optimal reaction, this period may take up to 15 seconds, and that’s a pretty long period of time,” warns Wolfgang Weiler, President of the General Association of the German insurance industry (GDV).
Responsibility of man and machine
A risk to keep the insurer is unacceptable. Therefore, you are calling for a clear distribution of tasks between the driver and the technology on each Level of automation. “It is only automated vehicles on the road, which are absolutely safe and the car in case of emergency, also without the Intervention of a driver to a safe can bring.” Because then the driver could turn away from the road. Prior to the introduction of the systems corresponding to the binding Standards should be set.
In Karlsruhe, since may of 2018, a testing ground for Autonomous Driving
A Position that Udo di Fabio, the Chairman of the “ethics Commission, Automated and Networked To the Federal government” supports. In 2017, the Commission has established a set of 20 hypotheses, which apply as guidelines for the technical implementation. Then it must be regulated in every driving situation, a clear and recognisable way, who’s up for the task of Driving responsible: The person or the Computer. “If the machine moves, it is allowed to have the man of responsibility”, stressed the former Federal constitutional judge di Fabio.
“Level 3” to skip?
Also, because it is otherwise in the case of an accident, many uncertainties. “If the driver should monitor a technology, then we get to do it with the difficult questions of liability if something goes wrong.” Who should be responsible in this case for the damage? “It is fully automatically, then the liability of the manufacturer or the programmer, but not when the driver is located,” says di Fabio.
On the site of the Berlin Charite small buses to drive autonomously
In the consequence of the actually hot would have on the way to Autonomous, the “Level skip 3”. In fact, some companies, including Google, Ford and Volvo have announced that already. The insurance industry is nevertheless skeptical that the accident and injury cases very quickly change. “According to a us study published in the impact will not be on the bad to happen as it is commonly assumed,” said GDV President of the hamlet.
Still many questions open
According to the study, the Damages in the liability by 2035 compared to 2015 will be reduced to only a maximum of 15 percent. To repair the new systems, will even more expensive. The benefits of the insurance would decrease, therefore, was only five percent. “For the foreseeable future, technological progress will therefore have only a small influence on the damage done,” says Weiler.
The study, however, that it will take to “Level-5”- car that is as part of an intelligent traffic control system, fully Autonomous, on-the-go, for decades. The engineer psychologist Mark Vollrath says. “You should not have too high expectations.”