The Global Summit on Industry and Industrialization, which will launch its inaugural session at Paris-Sorbonne University - Abu Dhabi from 27 to 30 March 2017, has presented a set of questions and answers about self-driving vehicles. The summit will bring together more than 1,200 participants from senior leaders of countries and presidents Executives of major industrial companies, decision makers, specialized researchers and academics. The Global Industry and Industrialization Summit will provide: a platform for presenting and discussing ideas aimed at leading the industrial transformation process, and a platform for holding meetings and discussing building new and comprehensive partnerships in the industrial sector.
1. What are connected cars and self-driving vehicles?
Internet-connected cars and self-driving vehicles are general definitions that include different technologies, which once included in the car became more than just a means of transportation. In the past, modes of passenger transport, from the ox-drawn carts to the automobiles of yesteryear, were always under the control of the moderator, who must interpret external signals, such as those of other vehicles and road signs, to drive in proportion. Sometimes the signals can be sent to the vehicle (such as a radio), or an external piece can be added on top of the vehicle (such as separate GPS devices).
Connecting to the Internet today makes it possible to enhance and support the driver's work - from emergency communication uses to parking assistance. The connected car becomes able to interact automatically with its environment. After the connection is installed in the vehicle, the services provided to the driver can be increased, who thus becomes little by little. user. So that the ultimate goal is for the car to become completely self-driving and to transport users from point A to point B without the need for any user to become a driver for it.
The different levels of automation are summarized by the Society of Automotive Engineers on a scale from 0 (no automation) to 5 (fully automated).
2. Why should these vehicles be regulated and what are the main concerns?
The launch of autonomous and smart vehicles has been met with great enthusiasm, but much more needs to be done before these vehicles can become a viable alternative to existing transportation systems. A foundation for the regulatory framework has already begun in many countries of the world, but there are still many challenges to be overcome by lawmakers and regulators alike, in developing a comprehensive and unified approach to governing what we expect to become a robust sector in the near future.
Currently, motor vehicle regulation is implemented under various international treaties to ensure that there is a consistent approach to liability.
For example, the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of November 8, 1968 (a UN treaty with 75 contracting parties, including the United Arab Emirates, since 2007) states that every moving vehicle must have a driver and that the driver is in control in the vehicle at all times. This was amended most recently in 2016 to allow the use of self-driving cars – provided that the automated driving system complies with UN requirements or the driver is able to disable that system (and thus take control of the vehicle).
Although the responsibility aspect is the main element that we need to consider, there are other issues that need to be considered regarding the IT infrastructure that needs to be implemented, which raise concerns related to information security (eg hacking) and data protection.
.3 What are the different approaches to connected car systems?
As mentioned above, only 75 countries are included in the Vienna Treaty. Among the major absentees from this treaty are the United States of America, the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as China and India, which are countries with a high number of potential drivers, which makes them major markets.
Therefore, we see many different approaches at the regional levels, which parallel the international treaty. These include Europe, where the European Commission and European Parliament have published materials examining the roadmap for developing connected and self-driving cars, as well as in the United States, where the Department of Transportation announced the last large-scale investment plan from the Obama administration in February 2016 to develop self-driving cars.
The most important difference between these two methods remains the American pragmatic method based on "experiment first, then organize" versus the European vision that focuses on people's freedom and that highlights ethical concerns about automatically setting priorities in the decision-making process.
.4 Do we need a global system or are local methods sufficient?
Currently, several experiments have started around the world, including the United Arab Emirates. Local exemptions from existing regulations may suffice for these tasks. However, the global nature of the automotive industry will require a unified framework to ensure this. On the one hand, car manufacturers may develop their offering of products and services without interruption, and on the other hand, users of automated cars and insurance companies may rely on a unified system of dependence and liability on cars.
5. What exactly do we need to regulate and why? Given the internet side of autonomous vehicles, these vehicles are not literally self-driving, but will rely heavily on the infrastructure and connectivity around them. In addition, there will be several layers of technical protocols to provide integrated service to the user.
Therefore, the system as a whole will be strongly the weakest link in the chain of players. It will be necessary for the regulator to allocate to each player the expectation of responsibility that will be required for the sector to flourish. 6. Self-driving cars, drones...why can't we create a one-size-fits-all regulation?
Over time, this will make sense - after all, what we're seeing here is the development of self-driving transportation services, regardless of the mode of transportation. Science fiction has given us the idea of flying cars, reality offers us self-driving cars - and Dubai introduced the world to the world's first self-driving transport plane in mid-February.
However, despite their similarities, air transport is subject to many additional regulations and supervisions by each country. Thus, although we often aspire to a unified system, differences are inevitable. 7. What is the expected impact of self-driving cars on our daily lives?
The impact will be to change the traditional rules accepted, and it is expected to provide humanity with a unique opportunity to bring about a quantum leap in human life as we know it today. First, and most importantly, with regard to public safety. Road accidents remain one of the world's leading causes of public health spending and deaths. Most of these accidents are due to human errors. Self-driving cars, which eliminate the human element, will provide the opportunity to significantly reduce this burden on society caused by car accidents.
Also, there will be an impact on overall productivity. The time a driver spends behind the wheel is time that cannot currently be used for anything else. Thus, self-driving cars will now allow drivers to send text messages while driving, and will allow users to do anything they want to do while in transit, such as socializing, working, or even sleeping, until they reach their destination.
Finally, our urban vision will change dramatically. Self-driving cars will eventually become a transportation service, eliminating the need to own a car. A self-driving car will pick you up from point A, bring you to point B, then continue to point C to pick up another user or return to the charging station. Charging stations will practically eliminate the need for parking spaces underground and on the streets. The last point also highlights the necessity of reconsidering urban planning as we know it now so that additional spaces can be repurposed.
.8 What legislation is needed to protect autonomous vehicles against hacking and other criminal acts?
With the exception of the societal divisions that can sometimes lead to development, legislation remains a reactive tool - it deals with a situation that needs to be fixed, and it does it very slowly. On the other hand, technology is developing very quickly. Thus, establishing the legislative basis for technical standards would be the worst possible solution in terms of safety for users and manufacturers alike.
However, legislation can play an important role in making the various parties responsible and interacting to correct any security defect that may arise. For example, if a value-added service provider (such as an app publisher) causes an autonomous vehicle to malfunction due to a security error.
9.How much change is needed to bring autonomous vehicles onto the road?
At first glance, almost nothing - apart from drones and flying cars, roads will remain the main avenue for self-driving vehicles. Under the hood, however, there is a lot of work currently required to carry out the experiment, and more work will be needed to develop self-driving cars.
First, vehicles must be able to talk to each other, which necessitates the introduction of unified standards, both between manufacturers and between service providers as well - this type of communication is called V2V - that is, vehicle-to-vehicle communication.
Second, autonomous vehicles must also be able to communicate with the outside world - this type of communication is called V2I (vehicle-to-infrastructure communication) and there is also V2X (vehicle-to-nothing communication). This step will require the largest part of the investment, as the possibility of communication or connectivity must be guaranteed at all times to ensure the safety of users and people and the security of the surrounding equipment alike. This will require the ability to connect (such as using current 4G and upcoming 5G standards), data centers, turns, interactive route specific signs, GPS coverage, and so on.
.10 Will we witness the entry of new entrants into the auto industry and the competition of auto manufacturers?
This is not confirmed yet. So far we've seen Google invest in the space from the ground up with the Google car (now called Waymo), we've seen Uber outfit its existing cars with its own layer of technology, and we've seen new players in the auto industry like the rapidly evolving Tesla, manufacturers Current cars are trying to catch up with the development with their own efforts.
Now that we are in the age of experimentation, survival of either the best or the smartest may see one style dominate the competition, or we may see several styles coexisting and continuing with each other peacefully. The latter possibility would be in favor of enabling new players to win Commercial solutions, while the first possibility will be mostly in favor of auto manufacturers with a long history, since they have more resources than start-ups to quickly recruit / bring them to market. 11. Will the legislation relating to autonomous and connected vehicles affect manufacturers of offline and (traditional) autonomous vehicles, and if so, how?
In short - “the connected way or no highway”
It may happen in 5 years, 10 years, or 20 years, but the road to self-driving cars points to the inevitability of getting rid of the human factor, and eventually to a general ban on human-driven vehicles or, at least, to compulsory Obtaining a special permit to operate a car manually. Thus, it is unlikely that there will be more than one generic system—one for self-driving cars and one for conventional cars. For example, for basic connectivity, Europe is currently implementing a mandatory system to equip every new car that comes onto the European market with an e-call system. This means that by March 31, 2018, no new non-networked car will be allowed in Europe.
12. With the recent crashes of self-driving cars, wouldn't a self-driving car suffer a backlash?
For the accidents that occurred, you will not suffer from it. As for accidents that may occur in the future, self-driving cars may suffer from this. In fact, today we are at level 3 of the 5-tier scale for self-driving cars, at best. This means that the driver must remain in control of the vehicle at all times and in a position to disable the self-driving features. This is why Uber's self-driving cars still have human operators. In the event of an accident, they will be held responsible for the accident. In the case of Tesla, the customer must agree in the terms and conditions to keep his or her hands on the steering wheel at all times. So, the flaw in the autonomous driving system in both cases remains irrelevant and the human factor can be used - to avoid any backlash.
When we reach Level 5 and self-driving vehicle providers declare it safe to enjoy a movie while driving to a destination, any glitch or tampering with the system could slow the entry of self-driving cars into our daily lives. 13. The country's leadership seeks to introduce self-driving vehicles as part of the smart cities goal. What progress has been made to date?
Dubai has taken several measures towards implementing self-driving vehicles with the introduction of the "Dubai Strategy for Smart Self-Driving Mobility". This innovative, forward-thinking strategy is supported by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who indicated in several of his tweets on Twitter that the goal is to transform 25% of all transportation trips in Dubai into self-driving trips without driver through various means of transportation by 2030.
The self-driving transportation strategy in Dubai is expected to save $6 billion annually, as a result of reducing transport costs, environmental pollution and accidents, as well as by increasing the productivity of individuals by saving millions of hours lost in traditional road travel. Automated vehicles will also bring additional benefits such as increased mobility and access, and improve land uses by eliminating the need to allocate parking spaces.
On February 27, 2017, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority also announced its Smart Mobility Strategy 2017-2020, which will see the implementation of 34 projects ranging from drones, self-driving buses, taxis, and other innovative projects such as expanding pedestrian crossing areas and kiosks. and roadside queries.
In April 2016, a 10-seater driverless vehicle known as “EZ10” was towed during the three-day MENA Transportation Conference & Exhibition 2016, organized by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and the International Public Transport Association. The vehicle, the EZ10, is produced by the Easy Mile/Omnix Company and is designed to travel short distances on pre-programmed routes. It is ideal for pedestrian areas and cycling lanes and has a speed of 25 km/h with the ability to reach speeds of 40 km/h. The EZ10 is being tested further. In September 2016, Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority and Emaar Properties joined forces to test the EZ10 on a 700-meter stretch of Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) recently announced that it has signed an agreement with Tesla, the world's leading manufacturer of self-driving electric vehicles, to purchase 200 vehicles with various self-driving technology components. These new hybrid electric vehicles will be added to the fleet owned by Dubai Taxi Corporation.
In addition, the world's largest tender has been launched - the Dubai World Challenge for Autonomous Transportation - which encourages the most innovative research and development centers and academic institutions to experiment with the latest technology to provide transportation solutions tailored to Dubai's needs.
Dubai has recently tested an automated hover-taxi - type EHang 184 - made by the Chinese company EHang, which will be another experiment, the first of its kind for the Emirate known to see it. The EHang can travel at about 60 miles per hour at an altitude of 1,000 feet, making trips of no more than about 30 minutes. The Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai aspires to start operating automated air vehicles in July 2017.
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